Trinamool Congress (TMC) unveiled 42 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, nominating expelled Lok Sabha member Mahua Moitra for Krishnanagar. Abhishek Banerjee, nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, revealed the TMC’s candidates during at a show of strength in the heart of Kolkata on Sunday.
As anticipated, Abhishek Banerjee secures the TMC ticket for Diamond Harbour, while former Indian cricketer Yusuf Pathan is nominated from Behrampore. Pathan will face off against Congress heavyweight Adhir Chowdhury.
Mahua was ousted as a Lok Sabha MP on December 8 after the Parliamentary Ethics Panel’s report regarding the purported ‘cash-for-query’ case.
The declaration of candidates also extinguished any remaining expectations of a seat-sharing agreement with the Congress in the state. Nevertheless, despite not forming an alliance with the Congress, the TMC remains a part of the INDIA bloc, a coalition with the grand old party. Earlier on Sunday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee confirmed that the Trinamool Congress will unveil candidates for all 42 seats in West Bengal for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
“Today, I will bring before you candidates for all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal,” West Bengal CM said at the rally at the Brigade Parade Grounds of Kolkata
The Trinamool Congress initiated its campaign for the upcoming elections with a display of its strength. In the last Lok Sabha elections, the TMC secured 22 seats, while the BJP’s unexpected success saw them winning 18 seats. The Congress clinched the remaining two seats.
During the 2019 elections, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured 303 seats, while the grand-old party trailed with 52 seats. The Lok Sabha polls are expected to be held in April-May this year.