The Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) released a list of six candidates for the by-election on assembly seats in West Bengal on Sunday, October 20. TMC named Sangita Roy from the Sitai (SC) seat, Jay Prakash Toppo from Madarihat, Falguni Singhababu from Taldangra, and Sujoy Hazra from Medinipur, Sk. Rabiul Islam from Haroa and Senat Dey from Naihati.
The Election Commission of India announced bypolls for six assembly constituencies in West Bengal on October 15. The polls for Sitai (SC), Madarihat (ST), Naihati, Haroa, Medinipur, and Taldangra will be held on November 13, and the votes for these seats will be counted on November 23.
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The TMC won five of these six seats in the 2021 Assembly elections, while the BJP won only one. Sitai (SC) became vacant after TMC MLA Jagadish Chandra Basunia was elected MP from Coochbehar in the Lok Sabha elections this year, defeating former Union Minister (MOS) Nisith Pramanik.
On the other hand, another seat in northern West Bengal, Madarihat, was of the BJP leader Manoj Tigga. He resigned as MLA as he was selected as the BJP’s MP candidate for Alipuarduar and won.
The other four seats are in southern West Bengal. In the Naihati seat, former state minister Partha Bhowmick won the Lok Sabha election from Barrackpore, defeating BJP candidate and sitting MLA Arjun Singh. From the Medinipur Lok Sabha seat, TMC candidate June Malia defeated BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul. Malia was formerly the MLA of the Medinipur assembly constituency, a position that became vacant after her win.