The Hindu : Byelections, an acid test for Trinamool

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 06, 2003

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National

Byelections, an acid test for Trinamool

By Our Special Correspondent

Kolkata June 5. The byelections to the Nabadwip Lok Sabha and Vidyasagar Assembly seats on June 8 is yet another acid test for the Trinamool Congress.

The byelection to the parliamentary seat was necessitated following the death of the Trinamool MP, Ananda Mohan Biswas. The Vidyasagar Assembly seat in north Kolkata, a part of the Trinamool's suspended parliamentarian, Ajit Panja's constituency, fell vacant after the death of the CPI(M) MLA, Lakshmi Dey.

Ms. Banerjee is camping in the Nabadwip constituency for the past one week and intends to be there till the election.

The Trinamool nominee, Abir, son of the late Ananda Mohan Biswas, is pitted against CPI(M)'s Alokesh Das, a veteran. The Congress has fielded Rajani Doloi, a former MLA from Midnapore district.

For the CPI(M) too, Nabadwip is a prestige seat. The party is using all its resources to wrest it from the Trinamool.

In Vidyasagar, Mr. Panja has thrown a challenge to Ms. Banerjee by fielding his daughter, Mohua Mondal.

The Congress stalwart, Pranab Mukherjee and the former State chief of the party, Somen Mitra, are campaigning for her.

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