TMC names Mamata for Bhabanipur seat, BJP vows to field strong candidate

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday officially said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is the party’s candidate for Bhabanipur Assembly constituency by-elections which will be held on 30 September.

Further, TMC leaders Jakir Hossain and Amirul Islam will be the party’s candidates for Jangipur and Samserganj seats respectively. “The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) is pleased to announce Mamata Banerjee as the candidate from Bhabanipur, Jakir Hossain from Jangipur and Amirul Islam from Samserganj assembly constituency for polls/by-poll scheduled on September 30, 2021 in the state of West Benga,” read the party statement.

On Saturday, the Election Commission has announced to hold by-elections to three Assembly seats in West Bengal on 30 September. The counting of votes will take place on 3 October.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, said it would field a strong candidate against the Chief Minister. BJP’s state chief Dilip Ghosh on Sunday said, “We will fight the election strongly. There is no doubt that it will be a tough fight as Mamata Banerjee is a big figure and the chief minister of the state. She has control of the entire state. We will also field strong candidates in West Bengal.”

“We have defeated Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram. Her slogan that ‘Bengal wants its own daughter’ went flop. The people of Bengal have shown that they do not want Mamata Banerjee. But after that, she is trying to come through the back door. She made an elected MLA who is also a minister resign in the greed of position,” he said

“We want the election to be held in a peaceful environment and in a fair manner. But, post-poll violence is still going on. Around 95 BJP workers have been killed. It is a matter of great concern that how the polls will be held peacefully when there is violence going on and all IPS officers are probing that forming and SIT,” he stated.

Asked about the BJP’s candidate against Mamata Banerjee, Ghosh said, “The party’s election committee will oversee the matter. The suggested names will be sent to Delhi. After that, the parliamentary board will make the final announcement. However, in 2-3 days, the candidates of the West Bengal by-elections will be announced.”

The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC registered a landslide victory in polls winning 213 seats in the 294-member West Bengal assembly. She, however, was defeated by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari in the Nandigram Assembly constituency.