The Trinamool Congress announced that present Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would contest the Bhabanipur Assembly by-election on September 30
Opposition party BJP said it would organize a meeting of its state leadership on Tuesday to finalise its candidates for the three by-polls.
Sources said the BJP would have a very difficult task selecting its candidate for the Bhabanipur poll, with some of its leaders reportedly believing that it would be a loss. All eyes are on the Bhabanipur by-poll as Banerjee has to win her traditional seat to remain the chief minister. She had previously lost the Assembly election from Nandigram in Purba Medinipur to her Suvendu Adhikari by 1,956 votes. She had suspected foul play, but it remained unclear whether the same was actually the case.
The Election Commission notification for the Bhabanipur by-poll will be released on September 6 while September 13 is the last date for filing nomination. The candidates’ papers will be analyzed on September 14. The last date for withdrawing nominations is September 16. The votes will be counted on October 3.
When asked about the party meeting on Tuesday, BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said the final decision would be made by the central leadership. “I am not the right person to say who will contest against Mamata Banerjee. We have convened a meeting on Tuesday to discuss this. But I can say this that we will contest the by-poll with the same enthusiasm we had in the Assembly election,” he added.
(Image credits: Wikimedia)
