The CPM has fielded advocate Srijeeb Biswas against West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari in Bhowanipore, setting up a key contest in the constituency.
On Thursday, the Left Front released its second list of 32 candidates for the West Bengal Assembly elections. The list includes CPI candidate Shanti Giri from Nandigram and CPM candidate Dr Pulin Behari Baskey from Nayagram.
CPM leaders - Afrin Begam from Ballygunge, Monirul Islam from Metiabruz and Himangshu Giri from Khejuri, and Samarendra Nath Naiya from Nandigram - are among the 32 candidates.
The party had already announced its first list of 192 candidates earlier this week.
CPM state secretary Md Salim, while addressing the announcement, referred to the ongoing judicial review of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as a positive step.
“We have an initial victory when CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal and other senior administrative and police officials attended a SIR review meeting at Calcutta High Court on the direction of the Supreme Court, and the pace of disposal of pending voter-related claims and objections was discussed,” he said.
Salim added that the Left will continue its push to ensure all eligible voters are included before the polls. “The Left leaders will not rest till every genuine voter figures on the list before the two-phase assembly polls.”
He also criticised the Mamata Banerjee government over the voter rolls, alleging that many names were not included properly. He said the Election Commission had placed lakhs of voters under scrutiny without enough reason.
“We have an initial victory when CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal and other senior administrative and police officials attended a SIR review meeting at Calcutta High Court on the direction of the Supreme Court, and the pace of disposal of pending voter-related claims and objections was discussed,” Salim said again, pointing to the review process.
According to Election Commission data from February 28, 63.66 lakh names, about 8.3 per cent of voters, have been removed since the SIR process began in November last year.
The total voter base has come down from around 7.66 crore to a little over 7.04 crore. More than 60.06 lakh voters are currently listed under the “under adjudication” category, where their eligibility will be decided after legal scrutiny.
Around 705 judicial officers have been deployed to handle these cases. Salim also reacted to the Election Commission’s decision to transfer senior officials in the state ahead of the elections.
He said the move would not restore public confidence in the system.
“The EC thought democracy in the state would be restored through transfers of officers, but democracy can only be restored by people. We have faith in the people of West Bengal,” he said.
The Election Commission has removed West Bengal chief secretary Nandini Chakravorty, home secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena, director general of police Peeyush Pandey, and Kolkata Police commissioner Supratim Sarkar, among others, in an administrative reshuffle before the polls.
The West Bengal Assembly elections for 294 seats will be held on April 23 and 29, with counting scheduled for May 4.
