News Politics National Mamata Banerjee releases star studded list of LS candidates

Mamata Banerjee releases star studded list of LS candidates

Kolkata: Reigning Bengali matinee idol Dev, film personalities Moon Moon Sen and Satabdi Roy, and former Indian soccer skipper Bhaichung Bhutia figure in the list of Trinamool Congress candidates for the April-May Lok Sabha polls,

Banerjee's nephew and Trinamool Yuva president Abhishek Bandopadhyay would fight the elections from Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas. In the previous election (2009), veteran leader Somen Mitra had won the seat on Trinamool ticket, but switched over to the Congress recently.

In Raiganj of North Dinapur district, ailing Congress leader Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi's brother Satyaranjan Dasmunshi would be pitted as a Trinamool candidate. Raiganj is now represented by P R Dasmunshi's wife Deepa, regarded as a staunch critic of the Trinamool chief.

Trinamool, which had won 19 of the 42 seats from the state in the 2009 elections, has fielded 11 women candidates this time.

"Of the 42 seats in Bengal, we are fielding 11 women candidates which perhaps is the highest. Seven candidates are from the minority community," said Banerjee at a crowded media meet at the her residence in south Kolkata's Kalighat.