Bhabanipur bypoll: Congress not to field its candidate against Mamata Banerjee

Congress will not field its candidate in the Bhabanipur bypoll against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, said party's West Bengal unit president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to start her campaign for the bypoll from September 8, said sources on Monday.

On Saturday, the Election Commission has announced to hold by-elections to three assembly seats--Bhabanipur, Jangipur and Samserganj --in West Bengal on September 30.

The bypoll is crucial for Banerjee to win if she wants to remain the chief minister of the state.

In the state Assembly elections held earlier this year, Banerjee suffered defeat at the hands of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari in the Nandigram assembly constituency.

The BJP, which emerged as the main Opposition party in West Bengal after the Assembly polls, is yet to announce its candidate against Banerjee.

The Trinamool Congress registered a landslide victory in polls winning 213 seats in the 294-member West Bengal assembly. The BJP lost the polls but emerged as the second-largest party with 77 seats.

( With inputs from ANI )

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