LOK SABHA POLL : COOCHBEHAR

Trinamul starts campaign with new candidate

COOCH BEHAR, March 13: Trinamul Congress supremo Miss Mamata Banerjee is coming to Cooch Behar on 21 March to address a party workers' convention aiming to gear up the party activists.  On the same day she will also visit Alipurduar in Jalpaiguri. District Trinamul Congress president Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh believes the proposed visit may encourage the party activists to fight against the Left front candidate.

As expected, Mr Arghya Roy Pradhan of Haldibari, who joined the Trinamul Congress only in July last year, was declared the official candidate of the party for the Cooch Behar Lok Sabha constituency. He replaced Mr Girindra Nath Barman who was fielded in the previous Lok Sabha election. Mr Roy Pradhan is the younger son of Janabadi Forward Bloc chairman Mr Amar Roy Pradhan who won eight times from Cooch Behar as a Forward Bloc candidate.

Mr Roy Pradhan's nomination sent shockwaves to many Trinamul leaders who expected nomination of a well-known party leader as candidate. But as the Assembly elections may take place in 2011 the aggrieved leaders preferred to keep mum considering their political fate in that election. But, they are expressing their displeasure over selection of a new candidate to the lower level activists and also to the media persons.

When asked, Mr Girindra Nath Barman, also a vice-president of district Trinamul Congress, said, they started campaigning in Mathabhanga with his followers since last evening in favour of the official candidate. Though known as an aggrieved leader he denied to comment anything over the selection of Mr Roy Pradhan.

Ex-president of district Trinamul Youth Congress, Mr Shibendra Nath Roy, who also expected party ticket, said, he will join electioneering in favour of the party candidate from tomorrow.

Mr Roy Pradhan was not the first choice of district Trinamul Congress president Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh. But, following the tide, he is organising the campaign in favour of the candidate selected by Didi. He said there was no dispute in the party in this district over the selection of the candidate. "We should work in an united effort to defeat the Left Front candidate, Mr Nripendra Nath Roy, who failed to retain his seat in the previous Assembly election," Mr Ghosh said.

District Congress president Mr Biren Kundu said it was upto the party concerned to select their candidate. Mr Arghya Roy Pradhan has no political identity in this district. He is the son of ex-MP Mr Amar Roy Pradhan. "But, we have no objection against him", he added.

Sources in Janabadi Forward Bloc said they wanted the Cooch Behar seat as an alliance member. Though Mr Arghya Roy Pradhan is their chairman's son, he is not a JFB man. "We cannot consider him as our candidate", a JFB leader said.