Kolkata, Sept. 8 -- With the Election Commission announcing the schedule for the Nandigram Assembly bypoll, political activity has intensified in East Midnapore. The polling is scheduled for October 6 and the district administration has begun preparations to ensure a free and peaceful election.
An all-party meeting was convened by East Midnapore District Magistrate Niranjan Kumar at Nimtouri on Tuesday to discuss election arrangements, rules and guidelines. Representatives of almost all political parties attended the meeting. However, the Trinamool Congress was conspicuously absent.
The absence has triggered fresh speculation over whether the TMC will field a candidate in the bypoll and, if so, which faction will contest under the party's name and symbol. The party is currently divided between the Mamata Banerjee-led camp and the Ritabrata Banerjee faction, with the dispute over the party's identity and symbol continuing. The Nandigram seat fell vacant after BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, who won the Constituency in the last Assembly election, also won from Bhowanipore and subsequently vacated Nandigram.
TMC leaders from the Tamluk and Nandigram organisational districts declined to comment on the party's absence from the crucial meeting.
However, TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh, speaking for Mamata Banerjee's camp, said the candidate would be fielded under Mamata's leadership. He added that the remaining details would be announced by the party at the appropriate time.
Meanwhile, AJUP leader Humayun Kabir claimed that the BJP would win the Nandigram seat unopposed.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.