Bengal polls: Congress finalises all 294 candidates, names 10 more nominees
Congress has formally declared its intention to contest all 294 constituencies independently, , ending alliance with Left Front
The All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Wednesday announced candidates for the remaining 10 assembly constituencies in West Bengal, completing its list for all 294 seats ahead of the two-phase elections later this month.
The final list includes candidates for Alipurduars, Islampur, Gazole, Farakka, Sagardighi, Beldanga, Baduria, Ashoknagar, Sreerampore and Pataspur. No high-profile names feature in this tranche.
With this, the Congress has formally declared its intention to contest all 294 constituencies independently, ending its long-standing electoral alliance with the CPI(M)-led Left Front in the state.
The Congress and the Left had fought elections together since the 2016 assembly polls, an arrangement that continued through the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, the alliance failed to make electoral gains in the 2021 assembly elections, where neither side secured a single seat.
Polling in West Bengal will be held in two phases — on 23 April and 29 April — covering 152 and 142 constituencies respectively. The contest is expected to be largely four-cornered, involving the ruling Trinamool Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Left Front, and the Congress.
In select minority-dominated constituencies, an alliance between the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Humayun Kabir’s Aam Aadmi Unnayan Party (AAUP) could also influence the outcome.
Meanwhile, chief minister Mamata Banerjee sharpened her attack on the Congress, accusing it of failing to support the Trinamool Congress’ campaign against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Speaking at a rally in Nabagram in Murshidabad district — a region where Congress retains a traditional support base — Banerjee said repeated appeals for a joint approach to the Election Commission of India (ECI) were ignored.
“They did not accept our appeal. They did not care about the people during the revision exercise. Only Trinamool’s booth-level agents stood by voters,” she said.
The chief minister also alleged irregularities in voter deletions, particularly in her constituency of Bhabanipur in south Kolkata. “An abnormal number of names have been deleted. But I will fight and I will win,” she asserted.
The elections come amid heightened political tensions and organisational realignments, with the Congress’ decision to go solo adding a new dimension to an already competitive electoral battle in the state.
With IANS inputs