Congress announces the first list of 13 candidates for the West Bengal Assembly elections

The Congress on Saturday announced its first list of 13 candidates for the West Bengal Assembly elections.
According to the list, four-time MLA and deputy leader of the Congress Legislature Party, Nepal Mahato, has been fielded from Baghmundi constituency in Purulia district.
However, neither the Congress nor the Left Front has announced any name for the Nandigram seat in Purba Medinipur district, where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is pitted against former cabinet colleague and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
Speculations are rife that the Congress and the Left Front will leave the seat for their alliance partner, the Abbas Siddiqui-led Indian Secular Front, as the seat has a significant number of minority voters.
The Congress is set to contest 92 seats in the 294-member Assembly.
Seven of the 13 Congress contestants, whose names were announced during the day, are fresh faces.Of the 13 seats, the Congress had won the Purulia and Baghmundi constituencies in the 2016 Assembly elections.
Elections to the 294-member assembly will be held in eight phases from 27 March to 29 April. Votes will be counted on 2 May.
Report by Chetali S M
Reported on – 07/03/2021