Two well-known former BJP leaders, Shatrughan Sinha and Babul Supriyo, filed nominations as Trinamool candidates in West Bengal, on Monday, for the April 12 by-polls. Sinha is contesting from Asansol Lok Sabha constituency, and Babul from Ballygunge Assembly seat in south Kolkata.
The Asansol Lok Sabha seat had been a Left bastion till Babul won it in 2014 elections as a BJP candidate, defeating the CPI(M) and the Trinamool candidates. In 2019, the BJP MP won for a second term.
In July, before a Cabinet reshuffle, Babul resigned from his post of the Union minister of state for environment, forest and climate change. In September, he joined the Trinamool Congress, and later resigned from his MP’s post in October, leaving the seat vacant.
Shatrughan, a BJP veteran and a former Union minister, left the BJP to join Congress in 2019. The senior leader now aims at winning the Asansol seat for the Trinamool, vacated by Babul, who had defeated Trinamool candidate and film actress Moon Moon Sen in the 2019 election.
To counter Sinha is BJP’s Agnimitra Paul and Partha Mukherjee of the CPI(M). Agnimitra, a known fashion designer, is BJP’s MLA from Asansol South.
The Ballygunge Assembly constituency in south Kolkata has been with the Trinamool since 2006. Subrata Mukherjee, a veteran politician won this seat thrice. The seat got vacated after his death in November last year. Now, Babul is contesting this seat. Countering him are the BJP’s Keya Ghosh, and CPI(M)’s Saira Shah Halim, niece of actor Naseeruddin Shah.
Shatrughan has defended his candidacy from Bengal saying PM Modi (who comes from Gujarat) has contested from Varanasi. There have also been instances of leaders contesting from distant constituencies in the same way. Babul, who has been a strong opponent of the Trinamool as a BJP MP, is now meeting the voters to put his point forward.
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