Cricketer Shukla, footballers Bhutia & Nabi, actor Sohom find place in candidates list
04 March, Kolkata
Former Bengal captain Laxmi Ratan Shukla, farmer-Indian soccer skipper Baichung Bhutia, former Indian striker Rahim Nabi, Tollywood actor Sohom and Vaishali Dalmia, daughter of formerBCCI chief Jagmohan Dalimiya, are among those who feature in the list of the ruling party Trinamool Congress, to contest the West Bengal’s Assembly elections, beginning next month.
Hours after the Election Commission (EC) announced the six-phase polls for the state’s 294-seat from April 4 to May 5, AITC supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee issued the list of party candidates, in which 70 new faces are named.
Ms Banerjee, in the party meeting held at Kalighat Friday, announced that Trinamool Congress will fight alone for Bengal poll. “We have an alliance with people. We have delivered on the promises made.”
The number of women candidates for AITC has also gone up to 45 from 31 in 2011 and the number of minority (Muslim) contestants also went up to 57 from 37 ,five years ago.
The celebrity candidates are former Indian cricketer Laxmi Ratan Shukla from the Howrah North constituency; Vaishali Dalmiya, daughter of former ICC Chief Jagmohan Dalmiya from Bally (Howrah), actorSoham from Barjora (Bankura), former Indian captain Baichung Bhutia from Siliguri. Baichung made an abortive attempt from Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat in the 2014 Parliament polls. Former Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader and MLA Harka Bahadur Chetri is expected to feature in the list of AITC candidates, and Saradha scam accused Madan Mtira will also find a place for 2016 polls from Kamarhati.
The current Assembly tenure in Bengal would end on May 29. Polling dates for all 294 seats are as; First phase has two poll dates April 4 for 18 seats and April 11 for 31 seats, Second phase poll on April 17 for 56 seats, 3rd phase is on April 21 for 62 seats and 4th phase poll will be held on April 25 for 49 seats.
Fifth phase is on April 30 for 53 seats and May 5 if final and 6th phase for 25 seats. The state over 6.5 crore voters, of them over 20.5 lakh voters are new, resulting in a 3.23 per cent increase in their number. The percentage of new voters in the 18-19 year age group is 3.17 per cent.