Keshpur (community development block)

Keshpur is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Medinipur Sadar subdivision of Paschim Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

After the 1998 panchayat elections, the Trinamool Congress started from this one-horse town, a programme to mobilise the surrounding villagers. It meant challenging the CPI(M)'s domination over the electoral process. It is widely suspected that particularly in the rural areas it followed a regime perfected by them in which the non-party voters were virtually debarred from voting. The Keshpur rebels began questioning this. From 1998 Keshpur was caught in bloody clashes between the CPI(M) and the Trinamul Congress over control of the area. Keshpur became a place synonymous with political vendetta and bloodshed. As of 2016, Keshpur has continued with its political killing fields, the activities quite often spilling over to neighbouring areas such as Garhbeta.

In Keshpur CD block 75% of the cultivated area has alluvial soil and 25% has lateritic soil. Keshpur CD block is drought prone.

Keshpur is located at 22°33′16″N 87°27′40″E / 22.554497°N 87.461149°E / 22.554497; 87.461149.

Keshpur CD block is bounded by Garhbeta III and Chandrakona II CD blocks in the north, Chandrakona I, Daspur I and Debra CD blocks in the east, Kharagpur II and Midnapore Sadar CD blocks in the south and Salboni CD block in the west.

It is located 24 km from Midnapore, the district headquarters.

Keshpur CD block has an area of 483.15 km². It has 1 panchayat samity, 15 gram panchayats, 230 gram sansads (village councils), 634 mouzas and 570 inhabited villages. Keshpur and Anandapur police stations serve this block. Headquarters of this CD block is at Keshpur.

Keshpur CD block had a forest cover of 2,070 hectares, against a total geographical area of 47,567 hectares in 2005–06.