Bhabanipur by-polls: BJP meeting underway over candidate

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], September 7 (ANI): A meeting of the West Bengal unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is underway in the party's state headquarters in Kolkata regarding the candidate for Bhabanipur by-elections, said sources.
BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Suvendu Adhikari, state co-incharge Amit Malviya, party MP Sukanta Majumdar and state general secretary (organisation) Amitava Chakraborty are present in the meeting. BJP leader Rahul Sinha is also there.
According to sources, a BJP delegation will meet the Election Commission (EC) today evening regarding the by-polls.
On Saturday, the EC had announced by-elections for three assembly seats -- Bhabanipur, Jangipur and Samserganj -- in West Bengal on September 30.
Bhabanipur is the traditional seat of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Trinamool Congress on Sunday officially announced that Mamata Banerjee is the party's candidate from the Bhabanipur constituency.
Further, TMC leaders Jakir Hossain and Amirul Islam will be the party's candidates for Jangipur and Samserganj seats respectively.
Earlier on Monday, sources said the Indian National Congress is unlikely to field a candidate against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The counting of votes will take place on October 3.
Notably, Mamata Banerjee was defeated by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari in the Nandigram assembly constituency.
Following this, the Bhabanipur assembly seat was vacated by West Bengal Agriculture Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay in May, making way for the West Bengal Chief Minister to contest from the seat.
Winning the seat is crucial for Banerjee if she has to remain the chief minister of the state.
The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC registered a landslide victory in polls winning 213 seats in the 294-member West Bengal assembly. The BJP lost the polls but emerged as the second-largest party with 77 seats. (ANI)