The economic woes of the tea gardens and their workers, and the identity politics of the Rajbangshi community are likely to be key issues determining the electoral choices of voters in three constituencies along the northern fringes of West Bengal which will go to the polls in the first phase on April 19.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won all three seats — Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri — in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, but the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has gained considerable ground since then and is now posing a stiff challenge in the region. Campaigning for the first phase ends on Wednesday, April 17.
