E-Paper
Mamata Banerjee likely to announce TMC candidate list for Bengal polls tomorrow
On the same day, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also expected to announce the names of at least 60 candidates who will be contesting in the first two phases of the polls on March 27 and April 1
Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee is likely to announce the candidate list for all 294 seats for the upcoming West Bengal assembly election on Friday.
On the same day, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also expected to announce the names of at least 60 candidates who will be contesting in the first two phases of the polls on March 27 and April 1.
“Mamata Banerjee is likely to announce the candidate list on Friday. She has already announced that she will contest from Nandigram seat in East Midnapore district. She may also contest from another seat Bhawanipore, which is her home turf and the chief minister’s existing seat,” said a TMC leader, requesting anonymity.
In 2011 and 2016, Banerjee had announced the candidate list on March 18 and March 4, both Fridays.
Also Read | Why EC opted for 8-phase polls in Bengal
The Election Commission of India has already declared the schedule of the crucial assembly polls in West Bengal on February 27. Elections will be held in eight phases starting from March 27.
A senior BJP leader said that the party may field former TMC minister Suvendu Adhikari from Nandigram. Adhikari joined the BJP on December 19, 2020.
Nandigram is one of most prestigious assembly constituencies for the TMC because mass movements against land acquisition in Nandigram in East Midnapore and Singur in Hooghly district during 2006-08 paved the path for Banerjee’s political resurrection.
Meanwhile, a team of senior leaders from the BJP’s Bengal unit, including national vice-president Mukul Roy, state president Dilip Ghosh and party’s national general secretary and Bengal in-charge Kailash Vijayvargiya travelled to Delhi on Wednesday night.
On Thursday, a meeting of the party’s central election committee is scheduled in Delhi to finalise the candidate list for 60 assembly seats, which will be going to polls in the first two phases.
“For each constituency, we have sent at least three to five names to Delhi. For some constituencies, even six names have been sent. The party’s central leadership will finalise the list soon,” said a senior BJP leader.
Over the past few years, the BJP has emerged as the TMC’s main rival in West Bengal. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 40% of the vote share and 18 of the 42 seats in the state. The TMC won 43% of the vote share and 22 seats.
