BJP to put up own candidate for Malda Lok Sabha byelection

Kolkata, Aug 21 (UNI) The BJP in West Bengal today unilaterally decided to field its candidate for the Malda Lok Sabha byelection on September 16 without consulting its long-standing electoral ally, All India Trinamool Congress (AITC).

The party, at its state executive body meeting here, zeroed in on BJP Malda district General Secretary Biswapriya Roy Chowdhuty as its probable candidate. The byelection would be held along with that of Katwa Lok Sabha and Bongaon Assembly seats.

Claiming that BJP had a considerable support base in Malda district, a senior party leader said they were capable of winning the seat ''comfortably''.

He said following the state executive body's unanimous decision to fight separately for the Malda seat, Mr Chowdhury's name had been forwarded to the BJP central committee which in turn would formally announce his candidature within the next two days.

Asked about the rationale behind the decision, the sources said since the BJP had a good prospect in Malda, it was decided to go it alone there. The party had no intention to stake claim either for the Katwa Lok Sabha seat in Burdwan district or for the Bongaon Assembly bypoll in North 24 Parganas district.

''We hope the decision to field our own candidate for one of the three seats will have no repurcussion on the BJP's electoral alliance with the AITC,'' the leader said but ruled out any immediate meeting with Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on the issue.

Incidentally, the ruling CPI(M) has already announced the name of State Parliamentary Affairs Minister and veteran leader of Malda district Sailen Sarkar as its candidate for the seat, while the Congress has decided to nominate Abu Hasnat Khan Chowdhury, former MLA and younger brother of A B A Ghani Khan Chowdhury, as its nominee.

The deaths of Congress leader Ghani Khan Chowdhury and CPI(M)'s Mehboob Zahedi necessitated the byelections in Malda and Katwa respectively. The bypoll in Bongaon was announced on the same day following the death of the sitting AITC member.

UNI ABA PL NK HS1747