Bengal bypolls: Congress fields candidates in Bagda & Raiganj, leaves 2 seats for CPI-M

Kolkata : The West Bengal Congress on Tuesday announced candidates for the Assembly bypolls in Raiganj in North Dinajpur district and Bagda in North 24 Parganas district to be held on July 10.

The party has fielded Mohit Sengupta from Raiganj, who won the seat in the 2016 Assembly elections on a Congress ticket. In Bagda, the Congress has given the ticket to Ashok Haldar.

The Congress has decided not to field candidates for the bypolls to the remaining two Assembly constituencies in the state, Maniktala in Kolkata and Ranaghat Dakshin in Nadia district, leaving the seats for its ally CPI-M.

Now Bagda will witness a four-cornered contest involving Trinamool Congress, BJP, Congress, and the All India Forward Bloc. In Raiganj, the fight is between Trinamool Congress, BJP and Congress.

Maniktala and Ranaghat Dakshin will also witness three-cornered contests involving the Trinamool, BJP, and CPI-M.

As per the Assembly-wise results of the recent Lok Sabha polls, while the BJP is marginally ahead in Raiganj, Bagda, and Ranaghat Dakshin, Trinamool is slightly ahead in Maniktala.