The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) is poised to unveil the complete roster of 42 candidates from West Bengal for the impending Lok Sabha polls today.
The eagerly awaited announcement is scheduled to take place during the party’s grand rally, the ‘Jana Garjan Sabha,’ slated to be held at Kolkata’s Brigade Ground. It is anticipated that West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee will personally disclose the candidate names at the event, which is being spearheaded by the party’s national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee.
In the previous 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the TMC secured victory in 22 seats, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clinching 18, while the Congress managed to secure two seats. This tally marked a decline from the 2014 general elections when the Mamata Banerjee-led party triumphed in 34 out of the 42 seats.
However, the TMC failed to reach a consensus on seat-sharing with the Congress party as part of the Opposition’s alliance bloc.
Sources suggest that the list of candidates is expected to feature familiar names, including incumbent Members of Parliament (MPs), while potentially omitting some prominent figures. Additionally, the party is contemplating the inclusion of young leaders in its lineup.
The ‘Jana Garjan Sabha’ rally, anticipated to draw a crowd of around six to eight lakh supporters, comes amidst a flurry of political defections in West Bengal ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Notably, former TMC MLA Tapas Roy recently joined the BJP, while former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay formally embraced the BJP on March 7. Simultaneously, BJP MLA from Ranaghat-Dakshin, Mukut Mani Adhikari, switched allegiance to the TMC.
The dates for the Lok Sabha polls, slated for April-May, are anticipated to be announced next week.
Meanwhile, the Mamata Banerjee-led party finds itself under scrutiny following the recent unrest in Sandeshkhali, where locals staged violent protests last month, accusing now-suspended TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh and his associates of land encroachment and sexual harassment. Sheikh has since been apprehended and is presently in CBI custody.