Kolkata: Polling began on Wednesday morning for the bypoll to the Kolkata Dakshin Lok Sabha seat, which was vacated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee following her election to the WB Assembly, will on Wednesday see a direct contest between ruling Trinamool Congress and CPI(M) in its stronghold.
"The voting is going on peacefully in all parts of the constituency," Jt Commissioner of Police (Headquarters) Jawed Shamim said.
The fight will be between Trinamool's state president Subrata Bakshi and Ritabrata Banerjee of CPI(M).
There are three Independents in the fray in the constituency, which has an electorate of 15 lakh. BJP and Trinamool's ally Congress have not put up candidates.
The seat fell vacant after Banerjee resigned as MP and successfully fought the Assembly by-election from Bhowanipore for her maiden entry into the state legislature.
The constituency is locally known as the chief minister's pocket borough - Banerjee has won here six times in a row since 1991.
In the 2004 general elections, this was the only constituency where Trinamool Congress had registered its lone victory. Banerjee had won by a whopping margin of 2,19,571 votes over CPI(M) candidate Rabin Deb in the 2009 parliamentary elections from the seat.
After delimitation the seven assembly segments under Kolkata Dakshin are Rashbehari, Ballygunj, Behala Purba, Behala Paschim, Bhowanipore, Kolkata Port and Kasba.
Currently, Trinamool Congress holds all the assembly segments and the party had a combined lead of 3.25 lakh votes over the Left Front in the May assembly polls.
Bakshi, who holds dual portfolios of transport and public works department, has been one of the loyal lieutenants of Banerjee since the early 1990s.
"Didi is the candidate here, she is the face and the banner. We are all her soldiers. This constituency is part of her family which she nurtures like a mother. I am telling voters that I am Didi's candidate. If you vote for me, you actually vote for her," Bakshi said.
SFI general secretary and CPI(M) candidate Ritabrata Banerjee said "It's a full-fledged war. There is no question of quitting it. Our opponent may be Mamata Banerjee or Subrata Bakshi, but for us it is a battle of ideals."
The CPI(M)'s top leaders, Sitaram Yechury, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Biman Bose, all politburo members, and Surya Kanta Mishra, Leader of the Opposition and expelled party leader Somnath Chatterjee campaigned for the party candidate in the constituency.
The campaign for the bypoll reached its pitch on Sunday with the Chief Minister and her predecessor Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee hitting the roads.
State election commission sources said proper security arrangements have been made to ensure a free and fair poll on Wednesday.
Over 20 companies of central forces, besides the Kolkata Police would be deployed for the by-poll, they said.
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