Representatives of the Matua community and minorities in Dabgram-Fulbari, the Assembly segment of the Jalpaiguri Lok Sabha seat that covers parts of the Siliguri civic area and four contiguous panchayats of Jalpaiguri district, hinted that the micro-level interventions of chief minister Mamata Banerjee influenced their votes and not the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) highlights by the saffron camp.

Kartik Mondal, a resident of Porajhar under Fulbari-I panchayat of Dabgram-Fulbari segment, said they find no reason to be “overwhelmingly cheerful” about the CAA.

“We have our names on the voter list and all relevant information is with the Centre. If the Centre is keen on giving us new identity cards or so-called citizenship, they can send them by post. Instead, we are being asked to file applications,” said Mondal.

Biswajit Roy, of the same locality, said that since 2019 he voted the BJP, but didn’t find the BJP lawmakers — MP Jayanta Roy and MLA Sikha Chatterjee — in their area.

“We live at a stone’s throw from Uttarkanya (the state’s branch secretariat at the southern tip of Siliguri) but they didn’t bother to meet us. Instead, elected Trinamool representatives in rural bodies visited our place and worked so that we are included under social welfare schemes,” said Roy.

Mukul Bairagya, the president of the Namasudra Development Board constituted by the state, said people summarily rejected the CAA. “They welcomed the state's social welfare schemes that helped them. The BJP tried to dupe the Matua community with the CAA but failed, at least here,” he said.

The Dabgram-Fulbari Assembly segment has around 3.2 lakh voters. Among them, 35 per cent are from the Matua community. The segment has a minority population of around 20 per cent residing in Jatiakali, Baniapara, Jaidevvita, Rupchandragach and Kalangi on the southern outskirts of Siliguri.

In the 2019 general election, the BJP secured a lead of 86,000 votes in the Assembly segment. In 2021 Assembly polls, the BJP could win the seat but the margin reduced to 27,000 votes.

Akhtar Ali, a youth in front of the Fulbari Higher Secondary School polling booth on Friday, said the BJP did not campaign much in the Assembly segment.

“The BJP leaders know we are unhappy with the Centre’s new rule (the CAA). This seems to have kept them away. The state government gave us pending wages (of the 100 days' job scheme) and hiked the Lakshmir Bhandar dole,” he said.

Shahjahan Ali, backing the Left candidate in Jalpaiguri, added: "Like the Muslims, the Matuas here are unhappy with the Centre over the CAA. It will influence this election's results."