West Bengal chief minister and Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee (centre) flashes the victory sign during the release of the party’s list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections at her Kalighat residence in Kolkata on Friday as other party leaders look on.
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The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo said this while announcing the list of her party’s candidates in the Assembly elections starting April 4.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Youth Federation of India took out a protest rally on Hill Cart Road today denouncing the TMC government for being involved in many types of atrocities.
Soon after Election Commission announced the six-phase poll schedule, Banerjee in a press conference made public TMC candidates ahead of BJP, Congress and the Left which were yet to stitch the much-talked about alliance for the election to defeat TMC. “But In Bengal, which is a peaceful state, elections are being held in six phases spread out in seven days”.
Former transport minister Madan Mitra, now behind bars in connection with the multi-billion rupee Saradha chit fund scam, will contest from his old constituency Kamarhati in North 24 Parganas district. “We will fight the battle”, she said and accused the Opposition parties of “conspiring” to give a different picture of the state. “The party will go it alone in the polls”, said the Trinamool chief.
“Let them think about Kerala first”.
Her rivals, the CPI(M) and Congress, welcomed the poll panel’s decision after they warned that the ruling party could use its clout to sway the voting process. “There has been an unlawful alliance of Congress and CPI (M)”, she said.
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Mamata, who had some surprises in her list, pointed out that she will be fielding 45 women and 57 Muslims this time, compared to 31 women and 38 Muslim candidates during 2011 Assembly polls. At the same time she said that as the ECI is a constitutional body she should not criticise it.
