The pink SUV traversing through the dusty roads of Malda Dakshin Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal's Malda district draws everyone's attention. Waving to the crowds, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from the seat, Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury, popularly known as 'Nirbhoya di' for her efforts to rehabilitate rape victims, seems to be at ease as she mingles with locals and chats with the children. The pink SUV, the pink posters and the occasional pink sari that she wears indicate her commitment to women's rights and social justice, says Chaudhary. Explaining her choice of colour, the former journalist said, “Pink reflects the power of women. It is a neutral colour and no political party uses it. It symbolises the undying spirit of women. I am appealing to people to vote for the rights of women and development.” Considered to be a Congress stronghold, Maldaha Dakshin is among the four seats in Bengal where voting will be held during the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday. While the TMC has chosen to go it alone, the CPI(M) and the Congress are contesting the polls together. After the 2012 Delhi gangrape, Chaudhary chaired the special task force on rape, trafficking and violence against women set up by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which earner her the 'Nirbhaya Didi' moniker. Formerly with the TMC, she joined the BJP in 2015. In the 2021 Assembly elections, she was elected as an MLA from English Bazar constituency in Malda district. “In Bengal, all colours are spoiled. So, I decided to use a neutral colour like pink. I was inspired by Uttar Pradesh's 'Gulabi Gang'. I liked the women's spirit. Moreover, Prime Minister Narendra Modi always worked for women empowerment and women justice,” said Chaudhary. "Here, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is practising politics of exclusion and fear. We want to remove fear and slavery of women and children,” she added. The constituency is set to see a three-cornered contest between the BJP, TMC and the Congress. The ruling TMC has fielded anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) activist Shanawaz Ali Raihan. An Oxford scholar, Raihan was part of a group that protested against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) in front of the Indian High Commission in London around 2019. Targeting Sreerupa, he said, “Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury is a self-claimed woman activist. After she was elected in the 2021 Assembly election, she has never been seen in Malda. If she is a genuine activist, why was she silent on incidents like the Hathras gangrape?” “People know who is doing divisive politics in India. Because of this, the TMC will win from Maldaha Dakshin.” “The people of Malda want Mamata Banerjee's development model. All castes and creeds are safe under Mamata Banerjee's government in Bengal,” he told The Indian Express. Congress' nominee Isha Khan Choudhury, who's father Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury is the sitting MP from the seat, said the people of Malda Dakshin are ready to vote against "communalism and corruption". “One cannot fool the people every time. This is true for both the TMC and BJP. When the election comes, some try to fool people with communal politics, some with colours and other things. But, this time these issues will not work. The people of Malda Dakshin are determined to vote against such propaganda politics. They are ready to vote against communalism and corruption.” The other three seats going to polls in Bengal in the third phase are Maldaha Uttar, Murshidabad and Jangipur constituencies. In Maldaha Uttar, the BJP has fielded sitting MP Khagen Murmu, who was formerly with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) until he joined the saffron camp before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He will be pitted against TMC's Prasun Banerjee who is a former IPS officer. According to Banerjee, there's no "Modi wave" in the state. “In this election, there is no Modi wave. People will vote for development and not only will I win, but the INDIA alliance will form the government at Centre as well.” Criticising the ruling party, Murmu on Sunday said that TMC’s agenda was to "grab people's money". The Jangipur seat, too, will be witnessing a three-cornered fight between sitting MP and TMC leader Khalilur Rahaman, BJP's Dhananjay Ghosh and Congress' Mortaja Hossain.
