BJP announces candidates for Bengal elections, Suvendu Adhikari to challenge Mamata in Nandigram

New Delhi: Ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday released its first list of 57 candidates for the polls and announced that party leader Suvendu Adhikari shall be contesting the elections from the Nandigram constituency.

This was announced by BJP General Secretary Arun Singh at a press conference here today. He also announced that the Baghmundi seat has been allotted to the Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) Party to contest the upcoming polls.

The announcement of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari contesting from Nandigram comes a day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that she will be contesting the upcoming state assembly elections from the same constituency.

The names were finalized during a key meet of the party’s election committee chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

BJP’s Central Election Committee has approved the names of candidates on 57 seats for West Bengal Assembly elections: BJP General Secretary Arun Singh pic.twitter.com/ROwPNFuCNz

— ANI (@ANI) March 6, 2021

The BJP announced the list of candidates for first and second phase of Assembly elections, rest of candidates will be announced at later stage for the 294 member Assembly.

The biggest highlight of BJP candidate list is the positioning of former TMC heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari from Nandigram seat, the constituency that was the turning point for Mamata Banerjee in assembly elections, 10 years ago.

The hotly sought after seat will once again become the epicentre of political battle in Bengal, as Mamata Banerjee has already announced her candidate from Nandigram seat.

Both the parties TMC and BJP are high on rhetoric with both claiming massive support base for their candidate in Nandigram. Mamata herself contesting from Nandigram shows that TMC has sought to thwart BJP’s Bengal march plan while BJP is claiming that Didi will be shown the door by her own former minister.

BJP’s list of 57 candidates for 1st & 2nd phase of Bengal polls: 

Elections to Bengal’s 294-member Assembly will be held in eight phases with the results to be declared on May 2 while Voting in Nandigram will be held on April 1 during Phase-2 of the West Bengal elections.