Bengal Polls: TMC's Habibpur candidate Sarla Murmu joins BJP

New Delhi, Mar 08: In a major embarrassment for TMC ahead of West Bengal Assembly elections, party leader Sarala Murmu joined the BJP despite getting ticket from Habibpur Assembly Constituency.

However, the TMC issued a statement on Monday, saying that the candidate for Malda District's Habibpur Assembly Constituency (No. 43) Sarala Murmu had to be replaced due to her ill health. Pradeep Baskey will be contesting the upcoming Assembly Elections from this constituency.

A senior TMC leader said the party nominates a candidate for a particular constituency "based on his or her winning possibility and not personal desires".

This is the first case of candidate replacement in the run-up to the political do-or-die contest for both the TMC and the BJP.