Biplab Shaw, a resident of Haldia and a teacher at a government-sponsored Madhyamik school in Khejuri, both located in the Tamluk Lok Sabha constituency, is uncertain about the future of his job.

He is not sure whether he would be able to continue his job after July 16 when the Supreme Court would hear the plea against Calcutta High Court’s order that cancelled 25,753 appointments in teaching and non-teaching posts at state-aided schools in Bengal. The Supreme Court stayed the high court order till July 16.

On Saturday, Shaw and many others like him would have a choice to make when they would go to cast their votes. They would have a choice to elect or reject — Abhijit Gangopadhyay, the former Calcutta High Court judge contesting on a BJP ticket — as many believed that it was he who had first brought the “irregularities” to light.

Shaw is not alone in Tamluk, a part of the East Midnapore district, which was heavily affected by the alleged School Service Commission scam. Lakhs of young people and their families would vote on Saturday keeping in mind the “irregularities” that affected their lives.

“How can I blame Abhijit Gangopadhyay for our sufferings? As a judge, he did his duty sincerely. If anyone is to blame, it is the West Bengal School Service Commission and the ruling party. I might lose my job but there are many deserving candidates who didn’t get the job because of manipulation and malpractice,” Shaw, who is a Masters in Physics, said.

Political observers believe the alleged SSC scam is a major factor in the outcome of elections in Tamluk and Kanthi, two Lok Sabha seats in the East Midnapore district. In Tamluk, the literacy rate exceeds 87 per cent — significantly higher than the state average of 72.67 per cent.

BJP insiders said fielding the former judge was a tactic to use the “SSC scam” as a tool in the Lok Sabha polls in East Midnapore.

“Everybody was speaking about 25,753 jobs that were cancelled by the high court because of the irregularities in the recruitment process… But nobody is talking about the 23 lakh youths who had appeared in the 2016 SSC exam and now feel cheated because of the irregularities. Fielding the former judge would definitely help the party earn the confidence of all those who feel cheated,” said a BJP leader.

Subhasis Halder, a resident of Moyna in East Midnapore, said: “My son didn't pass the written test. Initially, I thought he lacked the capability to qualify, but now I believe he could have secured the job if the process was fair.”

Realising the importance of the SSC in this election, the BJP has been training its guns against the Trinamool Congress alleging the irregularities took place only because the ruling party allowed it.

Gangopadhyay, 61, stepped down as a judge on March 5, five months ahead of his retirement and joined the BJP on March 7.

“Abhijit Gangopadhyay’s fight was against corruption and the SSC scam has now revealed that there was corruption in the recruitment process. This has exposed the ruling party,” BJP’s district president Bamdeb Guchait said.

Trinamool said as Gangopadhyay contested on a BJP ticket, it had been established that his verdicts were politically motivated. “The judgments given by Gangopadhayay were politically motivated and this was proved after he became the BJP candidate. People will reject him as he was the man behind the loss of so many jobs,” Trinamool’s Tamluk town president Chanchal Khanra said.