Will not be contesting Bengal Assembly polls: TMC MLA Samir Chakraborty

The legislator, however, said he will continue working for the Trinamool Congress.

TMC MLA Samir Chakraborty (File photo/Twitter:@SamirCh39841787)

At a time when the Trinamool Congress is battling against a mass exodus of its party’s leaders to the BJP, its MLA from the Taldangra constituency in Bankura district Samir Chakraborty said on Friday that he is not going to contest the upcoming Assembly polls.

Making public his decision, Chakraborty wrote on Facebook, “I have informed Mamata Banerjee that I will not be contesting the upcoming Assembly polls. However, I will definitely be campaigning for the party.”

This comes barely two days after Trinamool Congress MLA and former Asansol mayor Jitendra Tiwari joined the BJP. Tiwari was the latest entrant among several TMC leaders and MLAs who have defected to the saffron party ahead of the Assembly elections.

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The upcoming Assembly polls in West Bengal have emerged as a three-way contest between the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC which is looking at a third term, a resurgent BJP, and the Congress-Left-ISF grand alliance.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced an eight-phase election schedule for the 294-seat West Bengal Assembly starting from March 27 and going on till April 29. About 7,32,94,980 electors will exercise their franchise across 1,01,916 polling booths.

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