TMC announces MP candidate list for all 42 seats, no alliance with congress

Yusuf Pathan to field against Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in Congress stronghold Baharampur...

Digital Desk: Trinamool Congress's announcement of former Team India cricketer Yusuf Pathan as their candidate from Baharampur. It is a Congress stronghold represented by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, has ignited political chatter in West Bengal. The Mamata Banerjee-led party officially disclosed candidates for all 42 seats in the state, signalling a clear decision to go solo without forming alliances with non-BJP parties.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a five-time Lok Sabha representative from Baharampur, is expected to seek re-election, potentially setting the stage for a high-profile electoral contest. Trinamool's strategic move to field a popular figure from Chowdhury's stronghold is viewed as a direct response to his consistent criticism of the party.

Despite both Trinamool and Congress being part of the INDIA alliance, seat-sharing dynamics in Bengal remain unsettled. Trinamool is perceived to have offered Baharampur and another seat to Congress, but the latter sought a larger share, prompting Trinamool to contest independently.

In response, the Congress emphasised its desire for a respectful seat-sharing agreement through negotiations, reiterating the INDIA group's collective fight against the BJP. The evolving political landscape in Bengal adds an intriguing dimension to the upcoming elections.

Check out the full list here: 

 Alipurduar (ST): Prakash Baraik

 Arambagh (SC): Mitali Bag

 Asansol: Shatrughan Sinha

 Baharampur: Yusuf Pathan

 Balurghat: Biplab Mitra 

 Bangaon (SC): Biswajit Das

 Bankura: Arup Chakraborty

 Barasat: Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar

 Basirhat: Haji Nurul Islam

 Barrackpore: Partha Bhowmick

 Bardhaman Purba (SC): Sharmila Sarkar

 Birbhum: Satabdi Roy

 Bishnupur (SC): Sujata Khan

 Bolpur (SC): Asit Kumar Mal

 Bardhaman-Durgapur: Kirti Azad

 Cooch Behar: Jagdish Basunia

 Darjeeling: Gopal Lama

 Diamond Harbour: Abhishek Banerjee

 Dum Dum: Saugata Roy

 Ghatal: Dipak Adhikari 'Dev'

 Hooghly: Rachna Banerjee

 Howrah: Prasun Banerjee

 Jadavpur: Saayoni Ghosh

 Jaynagar (SC): Pratima Mondal

 Jalpaiguri: Nirmal Chandra Roy

 Jangipur: Khalilur Rahman

 Jhargram (ST): Kalipada Soren

 Kanthi: Uttam Barik

 Kolkata Dakshin: Mala Roy

 Kolkata Uttar: Sudip Bandyopadhyay

 Krishnanagar: Mahua Moitra

 Maldaha Dakshin: Shahnawaz Ali Rizwan

 Maldaha Uttar: Prasun Banerjee

 Mathurapur (SC): Bapi Halder

 Medinipur: June Malia

 Murshidabad: Abu Taher Khan

 Purulia: Santiram Mahato

 Raiganj: Krishna Kalyani

 Ranaghat (SC): Mukut Mani Adhikari

 Serampore: Kalyan Banerjee 

 Tamluk: Debangshu Bhattacharya

 Uluberia: Sajda Ahmed

(The list is sourced from Business Today.)