2026 Bengal polls: Humayun Kabir withdraws his new party's Ballygunge seat candidate after launch

Kolkata, Dec 23 Nearly 12 hours after forming his new political party, suspended Trinamool Congress leader and MLA Humayun Kabir withdrew the name of one of his party's 10 candidates.

The name of the declared candidate for the Ballygunge Assembly constituency in Kolkata, Nisha Chatterjee, has been withdrawn on reports that her social media account is full of her photos wearing revealing clothes.

Therefore, after nearly 12 hours, Humayun Kabir announced that the Kolkata-based woman would no longer be the candidate for his newly-launched Janata Unnayan Party (JUP).

On Monday, Kabir, the MLA from Bharatpur, announced the formation of his new political outfit in Beldanga of Murshidabad district and simultaneously declared the names of potential candidates for the ten Assembly constituencies, of which Nisha Chatterjee was one among them.

Humayun Kabir announced that he would field Nisha Chatterjee as the candidate for the Ballygunge Assembly constituency. They even posed for photographs together on stage.

Nisha Chatterjee said that she was new to politics and until now had been involved in social service activities in West Bengal.

Humayun Kabir, whom she called a family friend, had invited her into politics.

However, she said that she never imagined that Humayun Kabir, the Bharatpur MLA, would make her a candidate for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.

On the other hand, within hours of Humayun Kabir announcing Nisha Chaterjee as a candidate for the upcoming state Assembly elections, various photographs and videos of the latter started doing the rounds on social media.

Seeing these, Humayun Kabir changed his decision, adding that "her gestures on social media are not appropriate. They are unfit for a sacred place like the state Assembly. I will announce the name of a Muslim candidate for Ballygunge Assembly constituency within seven days."

Following the decision, Nisha Chatterjee said that both the announcement and withdrawal of her candidature were hasty decisions by MLA Humayun Kabir.

She said, "I didn't proactively apply to him to become a candidate. He (Humayun Kabir) himself made me a candidate. He cancelled my candidature in the exact same manner. I think no one has the right to censor a women's behaviour and freedom."

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