Trinamool Congress Announces Candidates for Key West Bengal By-Elections

The Trinamool Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee, has announced its candidates for the by-elections on July 10 to four assembly seats in West Bengal. Candidates include Krishna Kalyani for Raiganj, Mukut Mani Adhikari for Ranaghat-Dakshin, Supti Pandey for Maniktala, and Madhuparna Thakur for Bagda.

The ruling Trinamool Congress on Friday revealed its candidates for the July 10 by-elections to four significant assembly seats in West Bengal, under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. Krishna Kalyani has been nominated from Raiganj, while Mukut Mani Adhikari will contest from Ranaghat-Dakshin constituency.

In a bid to reclaim the Maniktala seat, the party has fielded Supti Pandey, widow of former TMC MLA Sadhan Pandey. Madhuparna Thakur will represent the party from Matua-dominated Bagda.

Both Raiganj and Ranaghat seats fell vacant as Kalyani and Adhikari, previously BJP MLAs, switched to TMC but were unsuccessful in the Lok Sabha polls. The Maniktala seat became vacant due to the death of Sadhan Pande in 2022. The Bagda seat was left open after BJP MLA Biswajit Das switched to TMC but lost in the Bangaon Lok Sabha seat contest.