Bhabanipur bypolls: BJP objects to Mamata's nomination, claims non-disclosure of cases

Gearing up for the Bhabanipur tussle, BJP candidate Priyanka Tibrewal on Tuesday, has written to the Election commission objecting to CM Mamata Banerjee's nomination. The BJP counsel, via her returning officer, highlighted that the Trinamool chief has failed to disclose the five pending cases against her.  By-elections in Bhabanipur, Samserganj and Jangipur Assembly Constituencies in the state are scheduled for September 30. 

Tibrewal objects to Mamata's nomination

BJP pitches Tibrewal Vs Mamata

Taking on Mamata Banerjee, BJP chose its Bengal youth wing vice-president - Priyanka Tibrewal to take on the Trinamool chief at Bhabanipur. Anointing herself as 'Bhabanipur's daughter' as she was born and raised there, Tibrewal had said, "Bhabanipur nijer meyekei chaay" (Bhabanipur wants its own daughter), similar to Mamata's own Bangla nijer meyekei chaay" (Bengal wants its own daughter). Tibrewal had lost the Kolkata civic polls in 2015 and lost Entally seat in 2021 to Swarna Kamal Saha by more than 58,000 votes. Tibrewal - BJP Bengal's youth wing vice-president - is the BJP’s counsel in the post-poll violence cases in the Calcutta High Court. Her efforts led to a CBI inquiry into the alleged murders and rapes during the post-poll violence in Bengal. 

Defending the BJP's decision to field Tibrewal, BJP state chief Dilip Ghosh said, "We have pitted one defeated leader against another. Mamata Banerjee too was defeated four months back by BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari.  In 1984 Mamata Banerjee had defeated Somnath Chatterjee. Before that who knew the name of Banerjee".

Bhabanipur bypolls

Lat week, the Election Commission of India (EC) announced that it will hold by-polls only at Bhabanipur on 30 September, upon the special request of the state government. Moreover, it will also hold polls in Bengal's Samserganj and Jangipur and Odisha's Pipli where polls were deferred due to death of contesting candidates in May. Bhabanipur - which is Mamata Banerjee's constituency - is currently vacant after MLA Sovandeb Chatterjee resigned after winning the seat. As Banerjee had lost her poll battle from Nandigram, defeated by BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, she has to be re-elected by November 5 to remain West Bengal's CM. The results will be declared on 3 October.