In a rehabilitation of Saradha scam accused Madan Mitra, a former West Bengal Minister, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Thursday named him as the party’s candidate for the bypoll to Bhatpara Assembly seat.
Ms. Banerjee also announced the names of Amal Kishku and Abdul Karim Chowdhury as party candidates for Habibpur and Islampur Assembly constituencies respectively for the upcoming by-elections.
Polling on May 19
The bypoll for the five Assembly seats will be held on May 19, the date for the last phase of election to the Lok Sabha. The seats are Darjeeling, Islampur, Kandi, Habibpur (ST) and Bhatpara
Bypoll to these seats have been necessitated owing to resignations of sitting MLAs who are contesting the Lok Sabha elections.
Mr. Mitra will contest the Bhatpara seat in North 24 Parganas district, where sitting TMC MLA Arjun Singh has resigned and is contesting as a BJP candidate from the Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency.
The former Transport Minister of the State and a powerful TMC leader appeared to have lost his place of importance in the party since his release from custody on bail in September 2016 after spending over 21 months in jail in connection with the multi-crore Saradha chitfund scam.
The announcement of his candidature is seen as Mr. Mitra’s rehabilitation in the party.
The Chief Minister also said that the TMC will support Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Binay Tamang in Darjeeling Assembly seat, which was vacated by Amar Singh Rai to contest from Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency as a TMC-GJM candidate.
Cong. names candidates
Meanwhile, the Congress on Thursday named three candidates for the Assembly bypoll. The party has fielded Alhaj Muzaffar Hussain from Islampur, Rejina Murmu from Habilpur (ST) and Khwaja Ahmed Hussain from Bhatpara.
