The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal is learnt to have almost finalised its list of candidates for the bypolls to the six Assembly seats slated to be held next month.
Party sources said the TMC has decided to choose fresh faces for the bypolls but may not give a ticket to any star candidate this time.
A senior TMC leader said, “Already, I-PAC (Indian Political Action Committee) collected names of party leaders acceptable to voters. Accordingly, they have suggested three names from each constituency and submitted the list to our party supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Incidentally, Abhishek Banerjee, our party’s number two leader, and I-PAC head Pratik Jain are now in the US for personal reasons. We are not sure whether the names will be announced before or after their return. But the list that was submitted to the party supremo was shown to them as well.”
In the Naihati Assembly seat, party town president Sanat De is learnt to be the first choice. However, state Trinamool Chhatra Parishad president Trinankur Bhattacharya’s name has also been doing the rounds. The seat fell vacant after sitting TMC MLA Partha Bhowmik won the Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency defeating BJP candidate Arjun Singh.
Similarly, the party organisation, it has been learnt, wants its West Midnapore president Sujay Hazra to contest the Medinipur bypoll. “If Hazra can be the MLA and the district party president at the same time, his leadership will be firmly established in the district. So, the party leadership is considering his name for this seat,” said another senior TMC leader.
In the Taldangra seat, the TMC is reportedly considering nominating Bankura zilla parishad sabhadhipati Anasua Roy. The seat fell vacant after sitting MLA and TMC district president Aroop Chakraborty got elected to the Lok Sabha from the Bankura constituency. Sources said Chakraborty suggested two to three names but the party has not agreed to them.
In Haroa, which fell vacant after Haji Nurul Islam became an MP, the party may choose Haji Islam’s son Rabiul Islam as the candidate. Incidentally, Haji Islam passed away last month.
Sources also confirmed that the TMC was looking to field fresh faces in the Sitai and Madarihat constituencies of North Bengal.
Bypolls will be held in six Bengal constituencies — Sitai (SC), Madarihat (ST), Naihati, Haroa, Medinipur, and Taldangra — on November 13 and the counting of votes will take place on November 23.