KOLKATA: The BJP on Sunday sought the cancellation of nomination of Mamatabala Thakur, Trinamool Congress candidate for Bongaon Lok Sabha seat, alleging that she had falsely stated her educational qualifications.
West Bengal BJP president Rahul Sinha met state Chief Electoral Officer Sunil Gupta and demanded that the TMC candidate’s nomination be scratched immediately.
“In her nomination papers, Mamatabala Thakur stated she had passed Class VIII from Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Upper Primary School in Chandrapur in Maharashtra. But the RTI reply has shown that the school does not provide education up to Class VIII,” he said.
“Moreover, she has also not submitted any document in support of her academic qualifications. This tantamounts to deceiving the Election Commission, so we have sought the cancellation of her nomination,” he added.
Sinha said the BJP would also move court against the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress candidate in this regard.
While the TMC has nominated Mamatabala, widow of former MP from Bongaon Kapilkrishna Thakur, the BJP has nominated Subrata Thakur, son of former state Minister Manjulkrishna Thakur, who quit the Trinamool Congress to join the BJP last month along with his son.
Both the nominees belong to the Motua community (refugees from Bangladesh), which comprises 35 percent of the electorate in the parliamentary constituency, and is hence decisive in the outcome of the upcoming polls.
The byelection is scheduled to be held on February 13, and hectic campaigns are under way in the state.