Bengal poll 2016: TMC fields serving cop as candidate; Oppn objects

Jalpaiguri, March 6: A controversy has broken out over the nomination of an additional superintendent of police (ASP) by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) for the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal.

James Kujur, the ASP of Jalpaiguri, has been fielded from Kumargram constituency in Alipurduar, the recently carved out district of the state. He is the only serving police officer to have been nominated by Mamata Banerjee's party.

Kujur told the media in his office just hours after his nomination that he wants to bring smiles to the people of the tea gardens of the region that are struggling for survival.

He also said that he has been planning to contest the elections and would quit his job to focus on the people. Kumargram is reserved for the Scheduled Tribe category.

The Opposition Left Front raised strong objections to the fact that a TMC candidate was speaking from a government office and lodged a complaint of violation of the model code with the state's chief electoral officer.

Jalpaiguri District Magistrate Pritha Sarkar said she would go through Kujur's interview before taking a stand. She also said that as an election candidate, Kujur needed to follow the rules.

Oneindia News