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TMC officially fields Mamata from Bhabanipur home turf
For the Murshidabad district’s Samsergunj and Jangipur seats – where elections could not be held in March-April because the ruling party’s candidates died of Covid-19 – the TMC fielded Amirul Islam and former minister Jakir Hossain respectively. The latter was injured in a bomb blast in February this year.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday evening named chief minister Mamata Banerjee as its candidate for the assembly by-poll in south Kolkata’s Bhabanipur from where she had won in the past.
For the Murshidabad district’s Samsergunj and Jangipur seats – where elections could not be held in March-April because the ruling party’s candidates died of Covid-19 – the TMC fielded Amirul Islam and former minister Jakir Hossain respectively. The latter was injured in a bomb blast in February this year.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on August 24 filed a charge sheet in the Nimtita railway station bomb blast case, saying the target of the February 17 IED (improvised explosive device) attack was Hossain, who was then the state’s deputy labour minister. The NIA said the blast was carried out to derail the local poll.
“People of Jangipur are facing problems as they have no legislator to represent them. The election is necessary,” said Hossain.
Although polls and by-polls are to be held in seven seats in Bengal, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday announced elections in only three seats. Though the TMC demanded early polls in all seven, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the state’s principal opposition force, claimed that the situation is not conducive as the pandemic situation is not under control in any part of Bengal.
Since the Congress and the Left parties could not win a single seat for the first time since Independence, the contest in the coming elections is likely to be bi-polar.
The BJP did not name its candidates for the three seats till Sunday evening. Its leaders said the decision will be taken after consultation with national leaders. “Of course, we will contest these seats,” said Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh.
Banerjee is contesting again as she lost to her aide-turned adversary Suvendu Adhikari at Nandigram in East Midnapore district where polls were held in the second phase on April 1. To continue as chief minister, she needs to get elected before November 21.
While addressing a rally in Nandigram before the polls, Banerjee surprised everyone when she announced that she would not contest from Bhawanipore and face Adhikari instead. She was injured in the left leg during the campaign and addressed all rallies from a wheelchair.
Adhikari won the Nandigram seat in 2016 and was made a cabinet minister by Banerjee. He joined the BJP in December last year.
State power minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay contested the Bhawanipore seat and defeated the BJP candidate, actor Rudranil Ghosh. However, Chattopadhyay stepped down so that Banerjee could contest again.
In the March-April polls, the BJP bagged 77 seats while the TMC won 213. The polls were held in 292 of the state’s 294 seats as the two TMC candidates died in Murshidabad.
Two TMC candidates from North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas died of Covid-19 after the polls, and it was found that they had won. These seats are lying vacant.
Though the BJP wrested 77 seats, its score came down to 75 as two legislators resigned from the assembly to retain their Lok Sabha seats. One of them is Nisith Pramanik who took oath as Union minister of state for home affairs during the cabinet reshuffle on July 7.
Also, four BJP legislators have returned to the TMC although none have officially resigned from the party. Among them is Krishnanagar North MLA Mukul Roy, a founder-member of the TMC who switched sides in 2017 and was made a BJP national vice-president last year.
The BJP has sought Roy’s disqualification under anti-defection law and has sought an explanation from the other three who left last week. Roy is still a BJP legislator on paper and has been appointed as chairman of the assembly’s public accounts committee.
Top TMC leaders started a campaign on Sunday itself. Minister Firhad Hakim held a party workers’ meeting. “People of Bhawanipore are ready to welcome the festive season. They will welcome Mamata Banerjee before Goddess Durga arrives. Nothing can be more auspicious.”
TMC legislator from Kamarhati, Madan Mitra, who lives in Bhawanipore, also campaigned on Sunday.
