KOLKATA: Bengal BJP has decided to field Priyanka Tibrewal, an advocate who joined the party in 2014, against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the high-decibel by-election in Bhowanipore.
The party has also announced its candidates for the Assembly elections in Samsherganj and Jangipur constituencies where elections could not be held after candidates died of Covid-19.
Tibrewal had contested this year’s Assembly elections from Entally constituency, but had lost to the TMC’s candidate by more than 58,000 votes. “My fight is not against any individual. It is against injustice and is to save the people of West Bengal,’’ said Priyanka.
Meanwhile, the Congress has decided not to field a candidate against Mamata Banerjee.
Priyanka is one of the petitioners who moved the Calcutta HC over post-election violence in the state, which resulted in the HC ordering a CBI probe into allegations of murder and crimes against women and children. Priyanka, who has an MBA degree from a Thailand university, joined the BJP on the suggestion of the singer-turned-MP Babul Supriyo.
During her seven-year stint in the saffron camp, she was assigned several important roles. In August, 2020, she was made the vice president of the party’s youth wing in Bengal. Sources in the BJP said the party is preparing its battle line, considering the character of the voters in Bhowanipore. “The constituency has a considerable number of voters who hail from Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Our efforts will be aimed at consolidating these sets of non-Bengali speaking voters in our favour,” said a senior leader of the BJP.
Mamata Banerjee files nomination papers
Mamata on Friday submitted her nomination papers to contest from Bhawanipore. Banerjee was accompanied by the wife of state cabinet minister Firhad Hakim at Survey Building in Alipore where she filed her nomination papers.