Pranab Mukherjee to contest polls from Jangirpur

The Congress party is pitting External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee from Jangirpur constituency, and ailing minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi's wife Deepa from Raiganj, the party announced on Sunday.

The Congress party is pitting External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee from Jangirpur constituency, and ailing minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi's wife Deepa from Raiganj, the party announced on Sunday, releasing the list of its candidates for 11 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal.

HT Image

Mukherjee represents Jangirpur in the outgoing Lok Sabha. Raiganj is represented by Information and Broadcasting Minister Dasmunsi who has been in coma for the past several months now. Deepa Dasmunsi is a Congress legislator.

The party also fielded Asit Mal from Bolpur, which was represented by Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee in the outgoing house. Chatterjee has announced he would not be contesting the Lok Sabha poll.

Bolpur has been reserved for the Schedules Caste candidates after the delimitation exercise.

The Congress and the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress clinched a deal to share seats in the state Thursday, a move that could spell trouble for West Bengal's ruling Left Front.

The Congress will contest from 14 of the state's 42 constituencies, leaving the rest for the Trinamool.