Will contest assembly elections from Nandigram constituency: Mamata Banerjee
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today announced she will contest the upcoming assembly elections in the state from Nandigram constituency.
Trinamool Congress was thus off the block first by announcing the entire list of 291 candidates in one go, ahead of political rivals Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress-Left alliance, reports our New Delhi correspondent.
The elections in West Bengal will be held in eight phases beginning on March 27 and the counting of votes taken up on May 2.
Mamata, who has been the Chief Minister of the state for a decade, told a media conference in Kolkata that she will not contest from Bhowanipore constituency in south Kolkata this time, from where she was elected five years ago.
This time, her Trinamool Congress party colleague Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay will be in fray in Bhowanipore.
Nandigram is also the bastion of Suvendu Adhikari, one of the top Trinamool Congress leaders who quit the ruling party and joined BJP ahead of the election and is likely to take Mamata head on there in what promises to be a mouth-watering electoral contest.
Trinamool Congress has fielded 50 women, 42 Muslim candidates, 79 Scheduled Caste candidates and 17 Scheduled Tribe candidates in the coming eight-phase poll starting later on March 27.
Mamata said her party would contest 291 out of West Bengal's total of 294 assembly seats.
No candidate above the age of 80 would contest from Trinamool Congress, the Chief Minister announced.
She said 23-24 existing Trinamool Congress legislators have been dropped due to age and other reasons.
Mamata said "we have given assembly poll tickets to eminent personalities from the field of arts, sports, media and culture."
Actors Soham, Tollywood director-producer Raj Chakraborty and singer Aditi Munshi, who joined Trinamool yesterday, are among the Trinamool Congress candidates.
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