TRINAMUL CONGRESS

High speculation over Trinamul candidate

COOCH BEHAR, March 9: As the Trinamul Congress is waiting to reach an alliance with the Congress it is yet to announce its candidates for the Lok Sabha election. In Cooch Behar there are several persons eagerly waiting to be nominated as the official candidate of the party.

Mr Girindra Nath Barman of Mathabhanga contested in the previous election. A schoolteacher, Mr Barman is also the vice-president of the party's district unit. This time too he was hopeful about his candidature. But, Mr Arghya Roy Pradhan of Haldibari shattered his dream. Many Trinamul supporters started believing that Mr Roy Pradhan is the man to be nominated by the party supremo.

Mr Roy Pradhan, a businessman of Haldibari, is a newcomer in Trinamul Congress. 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. At first, Janabadi Forward Bloc chairman Mr Amar Roy Pradhan was offered to contest from Cooch Behar seat as a Trinamul supported candidate, but the senior leader denied the proposal due to his advanced age and illness. Considering his image and influence in Cooch Behar district the Trinamul Congress began considering his son who joined the Trinamul Congress recently.

But, after the recent rebellion of the outgoing Forward Bloc MP, Mr Hiten Barman, the Trinamul Congress tried to woo him and offered him to contest. He was invited to meet Miss Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata. As he failed to appear there the possibility of his candidature also turned bleak.

The ex-president of district Trinamul Youth Congress and a prominent lawyer Mr Shibendra Nath Roy's name is also coming up as the probable candidate. It was learnt that if he were nominated from the Trinamul Congress, the Greater Cooch Behar Democratic Party (GCDP) would not field Mr Bangshi Badan Barman. Mr Roy is the lawyer of the 'Greater Cooch Behar' cases and has a good relation with the GCDP leaders. Out of gratitude, the GCDP may support him in the election, instead of fielding a candidate of their party. This 'Greater' factor may help him to grab the nomination, believes many. A band of senior Trinamul leaders too extended their support to Mr Roy's candidature.

The rank and file of the party however are not happy with the situation. When the Left Front started campaigning after announcing of their candidate the Trinamul Congress is yet to select its candidate. In the previous election the difference or votes was about 2.5-lakh and it may go higher if the high command fails to nominate an acceptable candidate this time, said many. Outsider, newcomer and son-of-the-soil are the terms being used during discussions over probable candidates everywhere among the local Trinamul leaders and activists.