West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addresses a mega rally at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground, on March 10, 2024
| Photo Credit: Debasish Bhaduri
Putting an end to speculation of pre-poll seat sharing with the Congress party, the Trinamool Congress on Sunday announced candidates for all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal.
The list of Trinamool Congress candidates had certain surprises such as former cricketers Yusuf Pathan from Berhampore and Kirti Azad from Bardhaman Durgapur Lok Sabha seat. The party retained veteran MPs such as Sudip Banerjee from Kolkata and Saugata Roy from Dum Dum Lok Sabha seat and Kalyan Banerjee from Serampore.
While the party dropped Nushrat Jahan from Basirhat (the constituency under which Sandeshkhali falls), it has fielded popular Bengali actors Rachana Banerjee from Hooghly and June Maliah from Medinipur. Shatrughan Sinha who had won the by elections at Asansol in 2021 has been fielded from the seat.
The Trinamool Congress has also put faith in new faces like youth leader Debangshu Bhattacharya from Tamluk and IPS officer Prasun Banerjje from Malda North. Mr. Banerjee had resigned from service only days ago. Among the women MPs Trinamool Congress has renominated Mahua Moitra from Krishnanagar and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar from Barasat. Trinamool youth leader Sayani Ghosh has been fielded from Jadavpur replacing Mimi Chakraborty while Abhishek Banerjee will seek renomination from Diamond Harbour.
Two BJP MLAs Krishna Kaylani and Mukut Mani Adhikari who had won on a BJP ticket in 2021 and later defected to Trinamool have been given Lok Sabha tickets from Raiganj in north Bengal and Ranaghat in south Bengal respectively.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee introduced the party Lok Sabha candidates at the party’s Jon Gorjan Sabha (People’s Roar Rally) at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground. “We will accommodate those who could not get tickets in Assembly elections or with party posts,” the Trinamool Congress chairperson said. Ms. Banerjee said that Trinamool Congress will field candidates in Assam, Meghalaya and is also in talks with Samajwadi party president Akhilesh Yadav for fielding a candidate in Uttar Pradesh.
Unilateral announcement says Congress
The Congress leadership also reacted to the Trinamool announcing “unilateral announcements” of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls.
“The Indian National Congress has repeatedly declared its desire to have a respectable seat-sharing agreement with the TMC in West Bengal. The Indian National Congress has always maintained that such an agreement has to be finalised through negotiations and not by unilateral announcements. The Indian National Congress has always wanted the INDIA group to fight the BJP together,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said .Addressing the gathering at Brigade Parade grounds, Ms. Banerjee set out the pitch for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls by raising the issue of denial of funds to the State.
Referring to Primer Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign pitch of Modi’s Guarantee, the Chief Minister said, “ What kind of guarantee is it? That does not have a value”. The BJP government has reduced the price of cooking gas cylinders by Rs 100 before the Lok Sabha polls and after the elections will increase the price Rs 1000.
She refuted the allegations of funds meant for MGNREGA wages and PM Awaas Yojana being siphoned out by saying that funds have not been released for a couple of years so whether the question of misuse of funds comes from.
The Trinamool Congress chairperson also raised the issue of resignation to the Election Commissioner’s resignation .“The first thing I will talk about is the resignation of the Election Commissioner. News reports showed how they have tried taking over forceful control of Bengal and he [the election commissioner] didn’t accept this. We salute him from this meeting. In the name of commission, they are a blot on the reputation, working at the behest of the BJP government,” Ms. Banerjee said.
Speaking at the rally Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee raised the pitch against the BJP by calling them “Bahirgata and Bangla Birodhi (outsiders and those opposed to Bengal)”. “ There are 28 states and eight union territories but the funds have been stopped only to Bengal. Is BJP opposed to Bengal or not,” Mr. Banerjee asked the gathering.
Claiming that there is no warranty in the guarantee of the Prime Minister, the Trinamool Congress leader asked the gathering whose guarantee do they believe, “ Modi or Didi”.