West Bengal elections 2021: Young nominees find place in CPI(M) list

Kolkata, Mar 11: The CPI(M), which has fielded young candidates from its student and youth wings, is pinning hopes on budding leaders to take on the BJP and the TMC in the 2021 assembly elections in West Bengal.

JNU student leader Aishe Ghosh, Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) state president Minakshi Mukherjee, Students' Federation of India's (SFI) national joint secretary Dipsita Dhar, SFI state president Pratikur Rahaman, DYFI state secretary Sayandeep Mitra's are among those whose names feature in the list declared by Left Front chairperson Biman Bose on Wednesday.

Jawaharlal Nehru University Student's Union (JNUSU) president Aishe Ghosh who gained prominence after receiving injury during the protests against fee hike in 2020, has been fielded by the CPI(M) from Jamuria constituency in Paschim Bardhaman district. Ghosh has her task cut out to win from Jamuria, where the CPI(M) had tasted success in the 2016 assembly polls.

However, the BJP surged ahead in Jamuria assembly segment under Asansol Lok Sabha constituency in the 2019 parliamentary polls. The ruling Trinamool Congress is also a strong contender. The Congress-Left Front-ISF alliance chose CPI(M) youth wing state president Minakshi Mukherjee to contest from Nandigram seat where she will take on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.

While Sayandeep Mitra will contest from Kamarhati, Pratikur Rahaman from Diamond Harbour and Dipsita Dhar from Bally. Releasing the names of candidates for the last six of the eight-phase elections in West Bengal, the Left Front chairperson said on Wednesday that several candidates were below 40 years of age, with some of them as young as 26-27 years.

The CPI(M) had won only 26 seats in the 2016 state polls and was completely wiped out in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.