Bengal Polls: Young & Defiant Afreen Begum’s High-Stakes Fight in Ballygunge

Kolkata: A researcher-turned-politician, Afreen Begum, who is a CPI(M) candidate from the Ballygunge constituency, has made some sharp remarks on Mamata Banerjee, particularly regarding her role in the SIR (Special Intensive Revision of the voters’ list) and what she termed the “deceiving” politics of the Trinamool Congress supremo.

After releasing CPI(M)’s manifesto for Ballygunge, the 29-year-old PhD scholar from Jadavpur University spoke to eNewsroom India at length. In the interview, the young politician discussed the SIR and how, even while contesting her first election, she—the “Ballygunge Ki Beti,” as she calls herself—can defeat heavyweights in the Bengal elections.

Ballygunge, a high-profile constituency in Bengal, has interesting candidates from four major political parties. Neither the ruling TMC’s Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, nor Congress’s Rohan Mitra, nor BJP’s Shatorupa, nor CPI(M)’s Afreen Begum had contested the last Assembly election from this seat. Only the BJP candidate had contested previously, that too 15 years ago, in 2011. The TMC has held the Ballygunge seat since 2006.

Here are excerpts from her interview with eNewsroom:

eNewsroom: You are a student contesting your first election. How challenging is your candidature against heavyweight candidates from the ruling TMC and the BJP?

Afreen Begum: I have spent my life in the bylanes of Ballygunge, so I am aware not only of the localities but also of the issues faced by people in my constituency. There are problems like substandard drinking water supply, unhygienic surroundings, illegal constructions, and youth unemployment. In 2022 byelection, the CPI(M)’s Saira Shah Halim was the runner-up in the Ballygunge by-election. TMC’s winning margin was only 10,000 votes, so the BJP is not really in contention here.

EN: What are your key issues? Are you contesting the election on the Hindu-Muslim binary, the SIR, or local issues in Ballygunge?

AB: Our party has never engaged in the politics of religion, and I am also fighting against the BJP’s hate politics. Yes, the SIR is an issue, but it affects all of Bengal. At the same time, I am highlighting the lack of development by the ruling TMC in Ballygunge. I promise to improve the standard of living here. I also aim to reduce corruption and create job opportunities for the youth.

EN: There are claims that some CPI(M) leaders believe in a ‘Good SIR’ and ‘Bad SIR’. Do you agree that there is a ‘Good SIR’?

AB: I was not aware of such claims. But I do know that in Kerala, there was no such mass deletion as seen in Bengal. This is because Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ensured adequate deployment of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). In Bengal, however, sufficient BLOs and EROs were not deployed, which led to mass deletions.

EN: Since CPI(M) is also part of the opposition against the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre, how challenging is it for you to win amid the SIR exercise?

AB: Around 23,000 votes have been deleted in the Ballygunge constituency, and nearly 18,000 of them belong to Muslims. However, we are hopeful of securing support from all sections, and the existing voters will ensure the BJP’s defeat.

EN: You are pursuing a PhD in education, and the New Education Policy (NEP) is one of your key research areas. Who stands to benefit from it?

AB: No one. I am conducting research on the NEP and will present my findings, but so far, I believe it has not been designed for the benefit of students.

The CPI(M) leader also claimed that Mamata Banerjee receives votes from minority communities but does not strongly oppose BJP’s anti-Muslim policies. She alleged that while some opposition parties assist the BJP in the Rajya Sabha by supporting key Bills, Banerjee publicly assures resistance but later backs such measures—citing the NEP and the Waqf Bill as examples.

“Trinamool and BJP are two sides of the same coin,” she said.

The young candidate, with no political background, added that she was committed to a long-term political career and would remain in public life regardless of the election outcome.

Shahnawaz Akhtar is Managing Editor and founder of eNewsroom India, an independent, Kolkata-based digital media platform.

Courtesy: eNewsroom