West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee will file nomination for the West Bengal bypolls from Bhabanipur on 10 September to retain her current post.
Banerjee lost the Assembly election in Nandigram earlier this year to her former protege and now West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. She has previously won the Bhabanipur seat twice since 2011 and had moved to Nandigram for the Assembly elections.
The bypoll will be held on 30 September along with elections to the Samserganj and Jangipur seats, who were unable to go to poll in the Assembly elections.
Meanwhile, West Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh told IANS that the party's state election commission will meet to find suitable candidates for the bypoll-bound Assembly constituencies.
"Party has started the process of selection of candidates. The West Bengal BJP election committee will be meeting to discuss and finalise likely candidates. The names finalised by the election committee will be sent to the central leadership for approval and announcement.
Congress to Not Field Candidates Against Banerjee
The Congress has decided not to field any candidate against Banerjee from Bhabanipur constituency in the larger interest of the Opposition unity. WBPCC chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has made a formal announcement in this regard.
Congress leaders say that for the joint Opposition, it's necessary to support Mamata Banerjee, she in her meeting with Congress High Command Sonia Gandhi recently, had emphasised on the importance of Opposition unity to take on the BJP.
(with inputs from IANS)
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