Key Takeaways From TMC Candidate List: Yusuf Pathan Up Against Adhir Chowdhury, Nusrat Jahan Dropped

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has put an end to speculations around seat sharing with the Congress party with their full candidate list released on Sunday.

The party announced its candidates for Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal at a massive Jana Garjan Sabha held at Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata.

Here are some key takeaways from TMC’s candidate list

Sitting MPs renominated

The Trinamool Congress has renominated 16 MPs sitting MPs. This includes veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha from Asansol, who won in Asansol in a by-election in 2022. Mahua Moitra, who was expelled from Lok Sabha last year, has been confirmed as the candidate for Krishnanagar. Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee, will be contesting from the Diamond Harbour constituency.

Yusuf Pathan vs Adhir Chowdhury 

Former cricketer Yusuf Pathan is set to contest from the Baharampur Lok Sabha seat, a stronghold of Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a critic of Mamata Banerjee. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has represented this Congress stronghold since 1999. 

Party leader and ex-cricketer Kirti Azad has also been nominated for the Bardhaman-Durgapur constituency, having previously lost to the BJP in 2019.

Nusrat Jahan dropped

The Trinamool Congress has chosen not to nominate MP Nussrat Jahan for the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat, where the controversial Sandeshkhali is located. In her place, Nurul Islam will be seen contesting the Lok Sabha elections.

New faces added

TMC has shown confidence in new candidates, including youth leader Debangshu Bhattacharya from Tamluk, and Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Prasun Banerjee from Malda North.

BJP defectors given tickets

Two BJP MLAs, Krishna Kaylani and Mukut Mani Adhikari, who had won on a BJP ticket in 2021 and later joined the Trinamool Congress, have been nominated to contest in the Lok Sabha elections. Kaylani will be contesting from Raiganj in north Bengal, while Adhikari will be contesting from Ranaghat in south Bengal. These areas are strongholds of the Matua community, which the TMC lost to the BJP in 2019.