LOK SABHA ELECTION 2024
The CPI-M-led Left Front on Thursday announced the first list of its candidates for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Left Front Chairman Biman Bose, in a formal announcement of candidates for 16 out of the state’s 42 Lok Sabha constituencies, expressed optimism regarding the ongoing discussions with Congress on a seat-sharing agreement. “This is just a seat-sharing arrangement and not an alliance. There had been bilateral talks on the matter. However, nothing can be said for the final unless and until the talks take shape,” he expressed.
Of the total 16 names declared, 13 hail from the CPI-M while the remaining three are from the CPI, the Revolutionary Socialist Party and the All India Forward Bloc. Of the 16 names, 14 are new contenders.
This time, the CPI-M has shown a greater emphasis on nominating young candidates from the party’s students’ and youth wings.
Addressing mediapersons, Left Front chairman Biman Bose said that 14 of the 16 candidates are new and young.
“We have announced candidates for only 16 seats. The leaders of the state Congress are at present in New Delhi to talk to their high command. So, let them come back and then we will discuss. Let’s see what happens,” he added.
Saira Shah Halim, who is the niece of veteran bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah, has been announced as the CPI-M candidate for the Kolkata South seast.
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The unexpected decision was to nominate CPI-M Central Committee member Sujan Chakraborty from the Dum Dum seat in North 24 Parganas, rather than his previous constituency of Jadavpur in South 24 Parganas, where he served as an MP from 2004 to 2009.
The current CPI-M candidate from Jadavpur is Srijan Bhattacharya, who previously served as the President of the party’s student wing SFI. Meanwhile, Dipsita Dhar, a prominent figure in the students’ movement at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi, has been nominated as the candidate from the Sreerampore seat in Hooghly district.
Sabyasachi Chattopadhyay and Sayan Bandopadhyay, notable Calcutta High Court advocates recognized for their advocacy for underprivileged candidates in the high-profile school job case, have been announced as candidates from the Howrah and Tamluk constituencies, respectively.