Bidi barons lock horns in elections in West Bengal’s Murshidabad and Malda.

Several bidi industrialists and those associated with this industry have over the years joined politics and contested elections in Murshidabad and Malda. It was just around 9am and work was going on in full swing at the factory of a popular bidi-brand near the Dak Bangla crossing at Dhuliyan in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district. Sitting in the shade of a long verandah inside the factory, dozens of men could be seen arranging bidis in bundles before stacking them in neat concentric rings in the bamboo-baskets kept in front of them. As the labourers remained engrossed in their work, an elderly man with grey hair and white beard took a leisurely stroll in the courtyard, while keeping a watch on the workers. “The bidi-making industry is concentrated in this part of West Bengal. Most of the top brands of the bidi-making industry are located at Dhulian and Aurangabad, both in Murshidabad district,” said Zaidur Rahaman, director of Nur Bidi Works Pvt Ltd, which produces around 10 million bidis every day. His twin brother Khalilur Rahaman is the managing director (MD) of the company and the Trinamool Congress (TMC)’s sitting member of Parliament (MP) from Jangipur in Murshidabad district. Khalilur is also the TMC’s Lok Sabha candidate from the constituency. Constituency-wise, while Dhulian is a part of Malda South Lok Sabha seat, Aurangabad comes under Jangipur Lok Sabha seat in Murshudabad. The two constituencies go into polls in the third phase on May 7 along with North Malda Lok Sabha seat in Malda district and Murshidabad Lok Sabha seat in Murshidabad district. “With more than a million bidi workers living in these two constituencies, their influence on the vote bank is undeniable. They are a big factor, primarily in Jangipur. So, when it comes to elections, no political parties can ignore the bidi workers,” said Mozaffar Hossain, joint secretary of the Bidi Mazdoor and Packers’ Union in Murshidadad. This huge workforce forms a major chunk of the voters in at least five of the seven assembly seats under Jangipur Lok Sabha seat – Suti, Jangipur, Raghunathganj, Sagardighi and Lalgola. Their influence is also undeniable in an equal number of constituencies in Malda South, including Samserganj, Farakka, Sujapur, Baishnabnagar and Manikchak.