TRINAMUL CONGRESS

Cooch Behar : Trinamul candidate a newcomer ?

COOCH BEHAR, March 3: As the Congress and the Trinamul Congress reached an alliance the latter is going to nominate a candidate in Cooch Behar Lok Sabha seat.

There were a few eager persons in the Congress including Mr Sailen Barma and Mr Kesab Roy but their prospect got sealed due to the Congress-Trinamul alliance.

The inside situation in Trinamul Congress in Cooch Behar district is not clean enough till now. It is believed that Mr Arghya Roy Pradhan may be nominated from Cooch Behar seat. A businessman in profession, Mr Roy Pradhan is a resident of Haldibari and a newcomer in Trinamul Congress. His best identity is he is the son of Mr Amar Roy Pradhan who represented Cooch Behar in Lok Sabha eight times consecutively as an MP of Forward Bloc.

The Trinamul Congress reportedly offered Mr Amar Roy Pradhan, now Janabadi Forward Bloc chairman, to fight the election as a Trinamul supported candidate. The senior leader denied the proposal due to his advanced age and illness. Considering his image and influence in Cooch Behar district as a leftist leader the Trinamul Congress leadership selected his son who joined the party recently. Leaders in this district preferred to keep mum to the issue. They said it was upto the party supremo to choose candidate.

There were a number of eager candidates. District vice-president Mr Girindra Natha Roy fought the election earlier. Naturally he expected nomination. The ex-president of district Trinamul Youth Congress and a prominent lawyer Mr Shibendra Nath Roy's name was also under consideration. Chairperson of district Trinamul Mahila Congress Ms Kalyani Poddar was also in the waiting list. Though the party is yet to release the official list of candidates, all became pale as they already started believing that Mr Roy Pradhan will be the candidate.

Political observers said the Trinamul Congress should consult their alliance-partner (Congress) about the probable candidate because votes of their supporters were also needed to fight the election. Ignoring of the proposals and suggestions of district leadership may prove fatal, as the disappointed leaders may not come out wholeheartedly to support a newcomer, the observers believe.