Should the Rajbanshi Community Vote Out TMC in 2026?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Jeevan Singh urges the Rajbanshi community to oppose TMC.
- The KLO advocates for a separate Kamtapur state.
- The Rajbanshi community has significant electoral power in North Bengal.
- Prior calls to action have been made ahead of elections.
- The political landscape is shifting as the 2026 elections approach.
Kolkata, Nov 13 (NationPress) The head of the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation, Jeevan Singh, who is currently in hiding, shared a video message on Thursday encouraging the Rajbanshi community to play a pivotal role in unseating the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal during the forthcoming assembly elections next year.
In his video address, which was disseminated to various media outlets, the KLO leader also urged current TMC legislators and MPs to cut ties with the ruling party and spearhead efforts to end the Mamata Banerjee administration in West Bengal.
However, IANS could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
“Do not work against the Rajbanshi people for this government. Leave the party,” Singh was heard stating in the video message circulated among sections of the media.
It is important to note that the Rajbanshi community wields considerable influence in multiple constituencies across North Bengal districts, where the Bharatiya Janata Party has seen more electoral success than the Trinamool Congress since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
This is not the first instance of Singh issuing such a message against the Trinamool from an undisclosed location.
Prior to the three-tier panchayat elections in West Bengal in 2023, he released a similar video urging members of the Rajbanshi community to vote against TMC candidates in the rural elections.
Singh asserted that the West Bengal Chief Minister has consistently opposed the establishment of a separate Kamtapur state and alleged that the ruling party leaders are responsible for the oppression of the Rajbanshi people to stifle the statehood movement.
The KLO's proposed Kamtapur state aims to encompass the districts of Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Malda, North Dinajpur, and South Dinajpur in northern West Bengal; as well as Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Dhubri, and Goalpara districts in Assam; Kishanganj district in Bihar; and Jhapa district in Nepal.
Founded in December 1985, the KLO has previously engaged in armed struggles to achieve this demand.