The TMC on Sunday ended speculations of a possible seat adjustment with the Congress in Bengal by unveiling its candidate list for all 42 Lok Sabha seats, marking a significant overhaul by replacing seven sitting MPs and introducing several new faces, including former cricketer Yusuf Pathan.
Facing political heat over the incidents in Sandeshkhali, where allegations of sexual abuse against TMC leaders surfaced, the party brought in former MP Haji Nurul Islam replacing actor Nusrat Jahan in the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat, where the trouble-torn area is situated.
While 16 of 23 sitting MPs were retained, the TMC opted not to re-nominate seven incumbents and notably excluded BJP defector Arjun Singh from Barrackpore, who joined the TMC two years ago.
Big names in the list include cricketer Yusuf Pathan and TMC MP Mahua Moitra. Soon after joining TMC on Sunday, he was declared as party candidate from Baharampur constituency, which is the sitting seat of Congress state chief and party’s floar leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
Moreover, TMC has renominated Mahua Motira from Krishnanagar seat. Mahua Moitra had won the 2019 Lok Sabha election from the Krishnanagar constituency in the Nadia district. She will run for re-election from the same seat, after being disqualified from the 17th Lok Sabha in an alleged cash-for-query scam.
Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee is contesting on TMC ticket from Diamond Harbour. Coming to Basirhat, where Sandeshkhali is situated, the party fielded former MP Haji Nurul Islam replacing sitting MP Nusrat Jahan.
Mamata said her party is in talks with Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav for contesting in one seat from Uttar Pradesh. She said TMC will contest elections alone in Bengal, adding that her party will also fight in Assam and Meghalaya.
The Bengal CM said Prime Minister Narendra Modi must cross-check facts with officials before making allegations against Bengal. Addressing a rally in Kolkata, the Trinamool Congress supremo said, “We will never allow BJP to bring NRC or open detention camps in Bengal.”
In a veiled attack against ex-Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay who joined the BJP last week, she said, “I respect judiciary but a few judges worked as BJP agents.”
