E-Paper
Bengal polls: BJP fields former CEA Ashok Lahiri from Balurghat
Earlier the BJP had named 283 candidates out of 294. The party had to face major embarrassment after Sikha Mitra and Tapan Saha who were fielded from two constituencies in Kolkata refused to contest polls
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded former Chief Economic Advisor Ashok Lahiri from Balurghat in Dakshin Dinajpur district in north Bengal.
Lahiri, was initially fielded from Alipurduar assembly in north Bengal but his name had to be dropped after protests erupted within the state unit of the party. The party had to later field a local leader Suman Kanjilal from Alipurduar.
On Tuesday the BJP, however, fielded him from Balurghat. The party also released the names of 13 candidates, while fielding fresh candidates from Chowrangee and Kashipur-Belgachia in Kolkata.
Also Read | In Bengal, battle for Matua vote heats up
Earlier the BJP had named 283 candidates out of 294. The party had to face major embarrassment after Sikha Mitra and Tapan Saha who were earlier fielded from two constituencies in Kolkata refused to contest polls.
“Mitra and Saha had refused to contest the polls and hence had to be replaced,” said a BJP leader.
While Mitra is the wife of former West Bengal Congress chief Somen Mira, Saha’s wife is a Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislator.
On Tuesday, the party also named at least two Matua candidates, Subrata Thakur from Gaighata and Ashok Kirtonia from Bangaon Uttar, both in North 24 Parganas.
The Matua population is estimated at 50 million, of which about 30 million are in West Bengal alone and 15 million are listed as voters. The state’s Matua strongholds including parts of 24 North Parganas, Nadia, Cooch Behar, Dinajpur and Burdwan, have become the centre of a struggle for control between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP.
The crucial eight phase assembly polls in West Bengal are scheduled to take off from March 27. The BJP has set a target to win more than 200 out of the 294 seats. The TMC however has said that the BJP won’t even reach 100. Counting of votes is on May 2.
