Kolkata, June 06: Having once again failed to make it to the Union Cabinet in the recent reshuffle, the Trinamool Congress Chief, Mamata Banerjee, faces an acid test to prove to the BJP’s central leadership about her importance in West Bengal politics in the June 8 by-election to the Nabadwip (SC) Lok Sabha seat in Nadia district. All three leading contenders for the seat, CPI-M, Trinamool Congress and Congress, are equally confident of winning, even though the fight is mainly restricted between the CPI-M and Trinamool in an eight-cornered contest. The Bahujan Samaj party and four independents are also contesting for the seat which fell vacant following the death of Ananda Mohan Biswas of Trinamool Congress. Along with the parliamentary Nabadwip by-election, another by-poll would be held the same day for an assembly seat at Vidyasagar in North Kolkata which will also see an eight-cornered contest.
Trinamool Congress has left this seat to its ally BJP to fight it out against the CPI-M and Congress.

The by-election was necessitated by the death of CPI-M`s Laxmi Dey.

Both the Nabadwip parliamentary by-election and the Vidyasagar assembly by-poll have been considered important by political parties which would try to utilise the opportunity to regain their respective political clout considering that Lok Sabha elections are due next year.

Bureau Report