KOLKATA: The Trinamool Congress on Sunday announced the names of two former Union ministers Shatrughan Sinha and Babul Supriyo as its candidates for the by-poll in Asansol Lok Sabha and Ballugunge Assembly constituencies respectively to be held on April 12. Sinha had quit the BJP in 2019 and Supriyo in 2021.
"Happy to announce on behalf of the All India Trinamool Congress that Sri Shatrughan Sinha, former Union Minister and famed actor, will be our candidate in Lok Sabha by-election from Asansol. Sri Babul Supriyo, former Union Minister and noted singer, will be our candidate in Vidhansabha by-election from Ballygunge,’’ TMC supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted.
Election in Asansol was necessitated after Supriyo resigned as the Constituency’s MP in October last year, a month after he had quit the BJP and joined the TMC. Ballygunge Assembly seat fell vacant after TMC minister Subrata Mukherjee died of cardiac arrest in November last year.
Supriyo, the singer-turned-politician was the only sitting MP among 18 BJP lawmakers elected in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls who defected to the TMC.
In July last year, Supriyo had announced that he had quit active politics after he was dropped as Union Minister from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet.
Supriyo’s political career was in question after he was not fielded in any of the four Assembly constituencies—Dinhata, Shantipur, Khardah and Gosaba—where by-elections were held on October 30 last year. The TMC had snatched two of the seats, Dinhata and Shantipur, which were won by the BJP in the 2021 Assembly elections.
‘’Supriyo kept quiet since he joined the TMC. We were not sure what would be his political fate. Since the chief minister has announced his name as a candidate from Ballygune, it seems, Supriyo is all set to begin his new active political innings in our party,’’ said a TMC leader.
Fielding a star candidate like Sinha in the Asansol LS constituency is said to be a strategically smart move by Mamata. ‘’Supriyo was elected from Asansol for consecutive two terms. But in the civic polls, the TMC secured victory in Asansol municipal corporation area.
‘’She (Mamata) is desperate to snatch away the Lok Sabha constituency from the saffron camp. Eyeing victory in the Lok Sabha seats, which has a considerable number of non-Bengali electorates who are stated to be BJP’s strong vote-bank, Mamata played a smart card by fielding Sinha,’’ said a senior TMC leader.