Mamata-led party introduces fresh faces and renews focus on gender diversity in its bid for the upcoming elections
TMC candidates Mahua Moitra, Saayoni Ghosh and Yusuf Pathan during a rally. Pic/PTI
The TMC on Sunday announced the candidate list for all 42 Lok Sabha seats of West Bengal, dropping at least eight sitting MPs and bringing in several new faces such as former cricketers Yusuf Pathan and Kriti Azad. The party renominated 16 sitting MPs and fielded 12 women. Cricketer Yusuf Pathan will contest from the Baharampur Lok Sabha seat, whereas Kirti Aazd will fight from the Bardhaman-Durgapur constituency. The TMC also renominated expelled Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra from Krishnanagar seat for the second consecutive term.
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People attend a rally of TMC on Sunday. Pic/PTI
Door of alliance open: Congress
Soon after the TMC declared candidates from all Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, the Congress on Sunday said its doors are open for an alliance till the withdrawal of nominations and maintained that any agreement has to be finalised through negotiations and not by unilateral announcements. Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a public rally in Kolkata announced the names of 42 candidates for the Lok Saba election in the state. “Our doors are always open and an alliance can happen anytime before withdrawal,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said over the development.
New challenge for me, says Yusuf
Yusuf Pathan has said that Mamata Banerjee and he go back a long way. “I know Didi for more than a decade. She came to Eden Gardens for a felicitation function of the Kolkata Knight Riders team when they won the IPL in 2012. “Didi and Abhishek Banerjee have been talking to me for the last few days. I reached Kolkata this morning [Sunday] after I convinced myself to join politics. I gave it a long thought,” Yusuf told mid-day. The 2007 World T20-winning team member will contest from Berhampore. “I’ve not been there. I have to meet the people and request them to vote for me. It’s a new challenge,” said Yusuf. He returned to Sri Lanka where he is part of a veterans tournament.
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