Not to put up any candidate against Mamata: BJP

Kolkata, Aug 29 :The BJP today said it would not field any candidate against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who will contest from Bhowanipore Assembly constituency on September 25, saying it was a political gesture and appealed to other parties to follow suit.

"It is only due to political decorum and gesture that our party will not contest against the Trinamool Congress chief who has come to power with a massive mandate," BJP''s West Bengal unit president Rahul Sinha said.

Sinha also appealed to all other political parties not to put up any candidate against Banerjee in order to allow her to work as chief minister as she has received "an enormous mandate to run the state".

Meanwhile, CPI-M sources said the party''s Kolkata district committee would take a decision on selection of a candidate against Banerjee.

The Committee decision will be ratified by the state secretariat likely at its next meeting, the sources said.

TMC state president and state PWD Minister Subrata Bakshi has resigned his Bhowanipore seat to pave way for Banerjee to contest as per the statutory rules to get elected to the Assembly within six months.

BJP is a former electoral ally of TMC.

PTI