The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday announced its candidates for the upcoming by-elections of the Nandigram Assembly constituency in East Midnapore district and Rejinagar Assembly constituency in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.
Chandranath Rath was shot dead in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district on the evening of May 6 earlier this year. After the puja, Rath is expected to lead a procession of around 20,000 party workers and supporters to the District Magistrate’s office in Haldia, where she will file her nomination. In Bhabanipur, Adhikari defeated his predecessor and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee by a margin of more than 15,000 votes.
The killing took place two days after the results of the West Bengal Assembly elections were announced, with the BJP recording a landslide victory. BJP workers and supporters have already begun gathering to participate in the nomination event, news agency IANS reported.
Hasirani Rath will offer puja at the Janakinath temple in the Nandigram Assembly constituency before filing her nomination, according to party insiders. The BJP has fielded Hasirani Rath from Nandigram. She is the mother of late Chandranath Rath, the slain personal assistant of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. The Chief Minister will also be present during the filing of the nomination. He retained the Bhabanipur seat, necessitating a bypoll in Nandigram.
Earlier reporting noted: The BJP on Tuesday named Hasirani Rath, the mother of former aide to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari who died in May, as its candidate for Nandigrambypoll. Earlier reporting noted: The BJP on Tuesday named Hasirani Rath, the mother of former aide to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari who died in May, as its candidate for Nandigram bypoll, and fielded the party’s former Murshidabad district president Sakharav Sarkar from Rejinagar assembly seat. Earlier reporting noted: Hasirani Rath’s candidature had been the subject of speculation in Nandigram, and she appeared to confirm it earlier on Tuesday by offering prayers at the Siddheshwar Shiv Temple and Jankinath Temple there before the BJP formally announced her name.
In Murshidabad, former Trinamool Congress legislator Humayun Kabir contested and won from both Naoda and Rejinagar Assembly constituencies as an Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) candidate.
The Rejinagar bypolls might also give some indication about where the minority votes in the state might shift to in the coming days,” said a city-based political observer. he has fielded his son, Gholam Nabi Azad, as the AJUP candidate for the Rejinagar bypoll While Kabir retained Naoda. “On the other hand, the Trinamool Congress, which is now divided into three factions, also does not seem to have much prospects from Rejinagar this time. Rather, the CPI(M) and Congress can view the opportunity for increasing their tally in the West Bengal Assembly constituency by one seat.
