Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday announced West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as its candidate for the Bhawanipur bypoll.
This comes as the TMC’s campaign for the South Kolkata seat is already underway, with the Election Commission of India announcing a bypoll on Saturday following the state government’s request to avoid a constitutional crisis, PTI reported.
Banerjee, who lost the election in Nandigram to her hero-rival BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, has to win the bypoll to retain her post.
TMC’s Sovandeb Chattopadhyay stepped down as the MLA of Bhabnipur, giving his party supremo a chance to become a member of the state assembly by contesting a by-election.
Banerjee is to become a member of the state legislature by November 5.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and the CPI(M)-led Left Front are yet to announce their candidates for the bypolls.
Bypolls will be held on September 30 along with elections to two seats in Murshidabad district, Samserganj and Jangipur, where voting could not go to the polls in eight phases earlier this year.
Zakir Hussain is the TMC’s candidate from Jangipur, while the party has fielded Amirul Islam from Samserganj.
Counting of votes will take place on October 3.
Notification to start the nomination process for Bhawanipur by-election will be issued on 6 September. The last date for filing nominations is September 13, while scrutiny of nomination papers will be done.
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The last date to withdraw from the contest is 16 September.
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