TMC announces names of candidates for bypolls to four West Bengal assembly seats

Following Mamata Banerjee's historic win in the Bhabanipur by-poll, Trinamool Congress (TMC) is geared up for the upcoming assembly elections of four constituencies as it announced the candidates' list for the same on Sunday, October 3. TMC has decided to field Brajkishore Goswami from Santipur, Udayan Guha from Dinhata, Subrata Mondal from Gosaba, and Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay from Khardaha. 

The by-poll is scheduled as TMC MLA from Kajal Sinha and Gosaba MLA Jayanta Naskar passed away due to COVID-19. While BJP leader Nisith Pramnik of Dinhata resigned from his Assembly membership as he was also an MP and made a union minister. Similarly, BKP MLA Jagannath Sarkar of Santipur resigned to retain his membership in Parliament.

Mamata Banerjee wins Bhabanipur bypoll

Mamata Banerjee won the Bhabanipur by-poll by a record margin of over 58,000 votes against Priyanka Tibrewal of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). And so now as a member of the state Legislative Assembly, she will be allowed to continue as Chief Minister of West Bengal. The Election Commission of India (ECI) informed that Banerjee received 85,263 votes that is about 71.90 per cent of the total be-elections votes.

While Banerjee's opponent BJP candidate Priyanka Tibrewal secured 26,428 votes and Srijib Biswas of CPI (M) got 4,226 votes. The win was crucial for Banerjee, as she has to secure a legislative assembly seat by the first week of November and continue as the Chief Minister of West Bengal.

Speaking on TMC's victory, Mamat Banerjee told the media, "We contested in three constituencies, we have already won in Bhabanipur, and are hopeful that we will win the other two as well". She further stated that she has never lost in polls, except the last time in Bhabanipur against BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. 

TMC came to power in West Bengal with a landslide victory in this year's Assembly polls. However, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lost to her former aide Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram. Following this, the West Bengal Agriculture Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay vacated the Bhabanipur Assembly seat in May, to make way for Banerjee to retain her CM position.

(With ANI inputs)

(Image: PTI)