Bengal: By-election in Mamata's stronghold Bhabanipur constituency on Sept 30; counting on Oct 3

The by-election in Bhabanipur Assembly Constituency in West Bengal will be held on September 30, the Election Commission said on Saturday. The poll body also said polls in West Bengal's Samserganj and Jangipur, and in Odisha's Pipli will also be held on the said date. The counting of votes will be taken up on October 3, the Election Commission said. The Bhabanipur assembly seat was vacated by the West Bengal agriculture minister
and veteran TMC leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay in May this year, thus paving way for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to contest bypoll from her old bastion. 

Banerjee, who lost the polls from Nandigram, needs to get elected to the assembly to hold on to the chief minister's chair.

Chattopadhyay had tendered his resignation to Assembly speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay in the presence of senior party leader and his ministerial colleague Partha Chatterjee.

Before leaving for the state legislature, had said he would happily abide by the party's decision.

Chattopadhyay, who had earlier represented the Rashbehari assembly seat, contested from Bhabanipur this year and defeated BJP's Rudranil Ghosh by a convincing margin.

Banerjee had won the seat in 2011 and 2016.

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