Kolkata, Sept. 14 -- After weeks of speculation over who would take on the BJP in the high-voltage Nandigram bypoll, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday opted for a relatively new face, naming local leader Sanchita Pradhan Dey as its candidate.
Sanchita, a familiar face in Nandigram's local politics, served as a member of the Nandigram-II Panchayat samiti from 2013 to 2023. During her two terms, she served as the women and child welfare karmadhyaksha from 2013-18 and education karmadhyaksha from 2018-23. Her political background, however, is not the only reason she has drawn attention. Sanchita was a primary school teacher at Boyal Primary School and was among those whose appointments were cancelled in the teacher recruitment case.
Her name figured in the list of 269 appointments cancelled following a 2022 Calcutta High Court order in the 2014 TET recruitment case. She later got her job back following directions of the Supreme Court.
BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya said TMC is fielding candidates whom people consider "ineligible" and those who were caught in the school recruitment scam, claiming voters have no interest in the party's candidates. TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh, however, said people are already frustrated with the BJP and that "something unusual" could happen in the bypolls. BJP Minister Dilip Ghosh said parties that fear defeat often announce nominees early for publicity.
The Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls will be held on October 6, ahead of the likely municipal elections in eight civic bodies.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.