Krishnanagar Lok Sabha election result 2024 LIVE: Mahua Moitra leads with over 44,000 votes

Sitting Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra has widened her lead against the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) royal challenger 'Rajmata' Amrita Roy. Moitra is leading with more than 44,000 votes, as per early trends posted on the Election Commission of India (ECI) website. West Bengal's Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency saw an intense battle.   

About Mahua Moitra, Rajmata Amrita Roy

Mahua Moitra is an investment banker-turned-politician. In 2009, Moitra quit her position as vice-president at JPMorgan Chase to enter Indian politics. In 2010, she left the Congress to join the TMC and was elected from the Karimpur assembly constituency in the Nadia district in 2016. She, however, was disqualified and expelled from the Lok Sabha in December last year after a recommendation by the Parliament's Ethics Committee for sharing her login and password for the NIC portal. 

Amrita Roy belongs to the royal family of Krishnanagar and holds the title 'Rajmata of the Rajbari' or the Queen Mother of the constituency's royal palace. 

After her candidature from Krishnanagar was announced, the Rajmata harkened back to the contributions of King Krishnachandra. She also said, "I have come to the electoral field not as a royal daughter-in-law but to be the voice of the ordinary people. I hope people will bless me with both hands raised."

What happened in 2019 Lok Sabha elections? 

An erstwhile communist pocket borough, Krishnanagar has been a TMC stronghold since 2009. From 2009-19, the constituency was represented by former TMC leader Tapas Paul. 

In the 2019 general elections, 11 candidates fought for the constituency.  While the TMC replaced Tapas Paul and nominated Mahua Moitra, the CPI (M) fielded Dr Santanu Jha. The BJP fielded Kalyan Chaubey while the Congress nominated Intaj Ali Shah.

In the last Lok Sabha election, Mahua Moitra won the Krishnanagar seat by more than 6.14 lakh votes and a vote share of 45 per cent. BJP's Kalyan Chaubey emerged as the runner-up with more than 5.51 lakh votes.