Assembly elections 2016: TMC to fight alone, Mamata Banerjee first to announce candidates

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress will go it alone in Assembly election in West Bengal, party supremo Mamata Banerjee on Friday said and declared the list of TMC candidates which included sports personalities, actor and journalist.

Soon after Election Commission announced the six-phase poll schedule, Banerjee in a press conference made public TMC candidates ahead of BJP, Congress and the Left which were yet to stitch the much-talked about alliance for the election to defeat TMC.

Unlike 2011 when TMC had contested the Assembly election in alliance with Congress, the party will go on its own this time, she said.

Banerjee will contest from Bhabanipur constituency in the metropolis from where she was elected in 2011. Madan Mitra, former minister and an accused in the Saradha chit fund scam will contest from his old Kamarhati seat in North 24 Paraganas district.

Former Indian football captain Baichung Bhutia, former Bengal cricket captain Lakshmi Ratan Shukla, footballer Rahim Nabi, Bengali cine actor Soham and journalist Prabir Ghosal made it into the TMC list of candidates.

Expelled CPI(M) leader and former minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah who had joined the party, will contest from Bhangar constituency on TMC ticket while the name of Baishali Dalmiya, daughter of former BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya figured in the TMC list.

Banerjee expressed her displeasure over the six-phase election saying "CPI(M), Congress and BJP who can't fight us politically always spread canards against Bengal."

"Whatever the Election Commission decided we will follow it. But we don't like it that Bengal is always treated in a step-motherly manner."

"We welcome Election Commission's decision to go for six-phase poll. We will fight the battle. But In Bengal, which is a peaceful state, elections are being held in six phases spread out in seven days."

"It is the perogative of the Election Commission. I have nothing to say against them as it is a constitutional body. We will fight the battle," she said when asked to comment on the EC's decision to hold six-phase poll.