Murshidabad Lok Sabha Election Results 2024 LIVE: TMC's Abu Taher Khan takes a lead over BJP's Gauri Shankar Ghosh

Murshidabad Lok Sabha Elections 2024: As the votes are counted in the Murshidabad constituency, Abu Taher Khan from AITC is leading with 5391 votes. CPM's Md Salim stands in second place, having secured 4752 votes. The final Lok Sabha election result of Murshidabad constituency in West Bengal is yet to come as we wait for more updates on the vote tally.

The Murshidabad Lok Sabha seat in South Bengal went to polls in the third phase of Lok Sabha on May 7. With a total of 22 assembly constituencies, Murshidabad is a significant electoral battleground within West Bengal. The Murshidabad Lok Sabha seat has the highest Muslim concentration in the state – 67%. Muslims constitute 27% of West Bengal's population as per the 2011 census. 

Murshidabad constituency, which shares borders with Bangladesh, has seven assembly segments, of which six— Bhagabangola, Raninagar, Murshidabad, Hariharpara, Domkal and Jalangi, are in Murshidabad district, while Karimpur is in Nadia district.

The Murshidabad constituency saw a triangular battle in this LS polls between Trinamool Congress, BJP and CPI (M). The top candidates in fray are Gauri Shankar Ghosh of BJP, Abu Taher Khan of Trinamool Congress, and Md. Salim from CPI(M). Other candidates who had filed nominations are Mahafujul Alam of SUCI(C), Habib Saikh of AISF, Taiedul Islam of SDPI, and Asim Ray of BLRP.

Exit polls

India Today-My Axis exit survey revealed a notable rise in the number of BJP seats in the state, with an estimate ranging from 26 to 31 seats for the party. The survey predicted 11 to 14 seats to the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's TMC. The BJP is anticipated to win more votes from Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. News18 Poll Hub's exit survey projected the BJP/NDA to clinch 21-24 seats out of 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The Trinamool Congress is projected to win 18-21 seats. 

News 24 - Today's Chanakya predicted a major comeback for the BJP in West Bengal, expecting them to win 24 out of the 42 parliamentary seats. The Trinamool Congress is expected to secure 18 seats, while the Congress is projected to win one seat in the forthcoming elections. Republic - PMARQ poll showed the BJP leading with 22 seats, closely followed by the TMC with 20 seats. No seats were projected for the Congress, CPM, or other political parties.

Murshidabad Lok Sabha Elections

In initial years, Murshidabad has seen many political parties ruling the district. In the inaugural Lok Sabha elections of 1952 and the General Elections of 1957, Muhammad Khuda Baksh of the Indian National Congress secured the sear.

Later in 1962 and 1967, Saeed Badrudduja of the Independent Democratic Party (India) won the seat. Abu Taleb Chaudhary of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) claimed a win from Murshidabad in 1971, while the Janata Party prevailed in 1977.

During the 1990s, leadership under figures such as Sayed Masoodal Hussein and Moinul Hasan brought success to CPM. In both the 2004 and 2009 elections, Abdul Mannan Hussein emerged victorious representing the Congress.

Lok Sabha elections 2019

In 2019 election, Abu Taher Khan of the Trinamool Congress won in Murshidabad with 6,04,346 votes, while Abu Hena of the Congress party secured the second position with 3,77,929 votes.

In 2019, the TMC had won in Murshidabad with 41. 57 per cent of votes, while the Congress got 26 per cent, BJP 17. 05 per cent and CPI(M) came fourth with 12. 44 per cent.

Lok Sabha elections 2014

In the 2014 election, Badaruddoza Khan of CPM secured victory with a total of 426,947 votes. His closest competitor, Abdul Mannan Hossain from the Congress party, garnered 408,494 votes. This outcome underscored the competitive nature of the electoral contest between these two major parties in Murshidabad.

In the 2021 assembly polls, the TMC won 18 out of Murshidabad’s 20 assembly constituencies, while the BJP won two: Berhampur and Murshidabad.

Voters and issues at a glance

Women voters constitute nearly 50 per cent of West Bengal’s total electorate – about 3.73 crore women voters as against 3.85 crore men. In 2021, over 50 per cent of the state’s women voters supported the TMC.

Employment is a big issue in the district as 70% of young people, aged 15 to 30, move to states like Kerala and Karnataka each year in search of employment opportunities, as per news reports. Besides, corruption has been a major factor in the district.

The Trinamool Congress has made concerted efforts to spotlight its women-centric initiatives, notably the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme. This program offers financial assistance to women aged 25 to 60 who belong to economically disadvantaged groups. As of October 2023, approximately two crore beneficiaries have been enrolled under this scheme within the state.

Besides, the ruling party has been trying to highlight the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as an issue against BJP and Congress-CPM alliance dividing Muslim votes.