Why Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury says Mamata should take the lead to boycott polls ??? >>: TMC's Nandigram candidate - a former BJP man - remains a puzzle ::: Why giving a cakewalk to Suvendu ??? ::::: Dropping 74 sitting MLAs .... an invite to "open revolt" ?

The Supplementary List of voters has been released by the Election but there is no clarity on the judicial officers can decide finally. The state chief secretary has been asked to set up give space for tribunals.

The Supplementary list is in two parts – one == naming those found eligible after adjudication, and the second listing those found ineligible. Of course, those in the ineligible category can appeal before the tribunals set up by Calcutta High Court under 19 retired judges. Where’s the time? By April 23rd, the first phase of polling would be over in West Bengal. 

Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has said chief minister Mamata Banerjee should take the lead, move the Supreme Court and issue a vote boycott call if elections are held while excluding genuine voters. 

$$$

Trinamool Congress has stunned many by naming a local former BJP leader Pavitra Kar from Nandigram, which remains one of the most high-profile constituencies.  

BJP's giant killer Suvendu Adhikari, who trounced powerful Mamata Banerjee in this segment in 2021, is contesting again. Hence the TMC decision reportedly taken at the personal initiative of Abhishek Banerjee remains a puzzle. 

"If BJP has to win only one seat in 2026 assembly polls, TMC and Abhishek Banerjee has announced that seat would be Nandigram," remarked analyst Ramakanto Shanyal.

Why giving a cakewalk to Suvendu ? Or there is something more to it ?

Top of that Kar joined BJP only recently and his wife is also a local BJP panchayat member in the area.  

There is more of Abhishek Banerjee-stamp in the TMC list and political detractors are already saying that Mamata Banerjee has deliberately allowed her Bhaipo (nephew) to select most candidates because that would give her an escape route if the outcome on May 4 (the date of vote of count) does not come much favourably.  

However, ending days of speculation, Mamata announced that she would be contesting from Bhawanipore - where again she would face a stiff fight from Suvendu - a former lieutenant and who defeated her in Nandigram in 2021.  

Of course,  living up to its pro-Muslim image; the TMC has named 47 candidates from the minority communities. This is five from 42 it had fielded in 2021. But analysts say still the Muslim population which has over 30 per cent population in the state would have inadequate numbers of  Muslim MLAs. At one point of time, the state had as many as 66 Muslim legislators. 

In contrast, 11 of the SC/ST candidates have been fielded from general or non-reserved seats. But in several segments with sizable Muslim population; tickets have been to Hindu aspirants.

  

Does it reflect the reflect the pressure of  Hindu consolidation done by BJP ?   

The games have a changed a lot and are still they are changing fast. Hence the TMC – a party accused of blatant Muslim appeasement – now speaks loudly about newly built Jagannath temple at Digha. 

The Trinamool also has fielded 78 candidates from the Scheduled Castes and 17 from the Scheduled Tribes. 

In the list of 291 Trinamool candidates, around 126 are between the ages of 31 and 50.

Thirty candidates are in the age group of 31-40, while 88 are between 41 and 50 years of age.  

As a strategy, the TMC leadership dropped 74 MLAs and changed the constituencies of 15 others.

In total, 135 of the Trinamool’s sitting 224 legislators will be trying their electoral fortune yet again. The same formula has been applied for many district and block level leaders. They have been fielded from other constituencies outside their local districts or region. 

This is also seen as a gamble !! 

Under this plan, spokesperson Kunal Ghosh will contest an Assembly election for the first time, having been nominated from Beleghata. Paresh Paul represented this constituency for three consecutive terms in 2011, 2016 and 2021.  

The same formula was applied for a key Muslim face - Sowkat Molla. He would take on eminent Muslim leader Md. Naushad Siddiqui, Chairman of the Indian Secular Front (ISF) in Bhangar constituency. Sowkat was made TMC observer for Bhangar recently at the instance of Abhishek Banerjee.  

The ISF leader would be certainly under immense pressure.  

Prabhat Banerjee, son of Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee, has been nominated from Uttarpara. Earlier speculation was that seat would be given to a celebrity. 

He would take on BJP's actress-turned-neta Locket Chatterjee, a former MP.  

Abhishek Banerjee - set to take over TMC ?

In yet another change of candidate, TMC has now decided to field Debangshu Bhattacharya from Bally assembly segment replacing Rana Chatterjee.  In Chunchura constituency also, sitting MLA Asit Mazumdar has been replaced. 

Former journalist Devadeep Purohit will take the plunge into electoral politics from North 24-Parganas’ Khardaha.  Sitting member Sovandeb Chattopadhyay has been replaced and now nominated for Ballygunge, a segment with over 30 per cent of Muslim population. 

ends