10 TMC MLAs and 3 MPs in contact with BJP ahead of Bengal polls: Report

KOLKATA: 10 MLAs and three MPs from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) party are in contact with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), according to a report by ABP Live and this might result in internal rift in the TMC. Before the elections, this can be a backlash for the TMC party.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced that she will contest the upcoming Assembly elections from Nandigram, and would vacate her own seat of Bhowanipore in Kolkata. The TMC chief also announced the list of candidates of her party and said it will contest 291 seats in the upcoming Assembly elections.

The TMC has left three seats for its allies to contest from North Bengal and other regions. The TMC has fielded 50 female, 79 Scheduled Caste (SC), 42 Muslim and 17 Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates.

Nandigram is the stronghold of Suvendu Adhikari, one of the top leaders of the Trinamool Congress who switched sides to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, ahead of the eight-phased election.

The elections to the 294 seats in West Bengal will be held in eight phases from March 27 to April 29. The results will be declared on May 2. The state will see a three-cornered fight between the Trinamool Congress, the BJP and an alliance between Left parties, Congress and the Indian Secular Front.