Congress to not field candidate against Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur bypoll

The Congress will neither field any candidate opposite Mamata Banerjee nor campaign against her in the run-up to the Bhabanipur bypoll

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had won the Bhabanipur seat in 2016 by securing 65,520 votes. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

A day after promising to field its candidate against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Bhabanipur bypoll, the Congress on Tuesday took a U-turn over its stand and said the party will not put anybody against the Trinamool Congress supremo.

As instructed by the AICC, the Congress will neither field any candidate opposite Banerjee nor campaign against her in the run-up to the September 30 bypoll, state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told reporters in Baharampur.

On Monday, Chowdhury had told reporters that the Congress would field a candidate against Banerjee in Bhabanipur, claiming that the majority of PCC members were in favour of such a decision.

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Two months ago, Chowdhury had advocated not fielding any candidate against the chief minister out of political courtesy.

Reacting to the AICC decision, CPIM leader Sujan Chakraborty said, “We will field a candidate as those opposed to the TMC and BJP needed an alternative. We cannot ask the Congress to change its decision.”

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Mamata Banerjee