BJP announces 148 candidates for West Bengal Assembly polls

The party has fielded its former state unit chief Rahul Sinha from Habra and former Union minister and ex-TMC leader Mukul Roy from the Krishnanagar Uttar seat

The BJP on Thursday released the list of 148 candidates for the West Bengal Assembly elections, fielding several Trinamool Congress (TMC) turncoats including national vice- president Mukul Roy, another MP and several celebrities.

The saffron party fielded Roy from the Krishnanagar North Assembly constituency where he will take on TMC’s celebrity candidate Koushani Mukherjee. Roy will be back in the electoral fray after a gap of two decades. He had contested in the 2001 Assembly elections as a TMC candidate but had lost.

BJP also fielded Roy’s son Subhrangshu, TMC turncoat from the Bijpur seat. Another TMC turncoat Sabyasachi Dutta was fielded from the Bidhannagar seat. TMC MLA Sunil Singh who joined the BJP was fielded from the Noapara seat and another TMC turncoat Jitendra Tiwari from the Panaveswar seat.

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Former State BJP president Rahul Sinha has been fielded from the Habra constituency.

TMC MLA Sibhadra Dutta who switched over to the saffron party was fielded from the Khardah constituency.

Noted actor Rudranil Ghosh was fielded from the Bhabsanipur Assembly seat, currently held by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. After she decided to contest from Nandigram, TMC fielded Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay.

Actor Parno Mitra will fight from the Baranagar seat. The saffron party also fielded sitting MP Jagannath Sarkar from the Santipur Assembly seat.

The saffron party was left red-faced after declaring that former Congress MLA Sikha Mitra will be its candidate from the Chowringheee seat. Soon after her name was announced, Mitra said that she will not contest on a BJP ticket and has never agreed to do so.

“I am not contesting as a BJP candidate. Misinformation is being spread about this. Let me make this absolutely clear,” said Mitra. She also said that she never even joined the BJP.

Another TMC leader Tarun Roy whom BJP announced as its candidate from the Kashipur-Belgachia seat, also denied having agreed to become a BJP candidate.

“I am in the TMC and will remain in the TMC. There is no question of joining the BJP,” said Roy.

However, State BJP president Dilip Ghosh was not fielded in the Assembly elections. “ I am not contesting in the Assembly elections. The party has instructed me to campaign across the State.”