BJP on Wednesday declared Chandra Kumar Bose, grandnephew of Subhash Chandra Bose, its candidate against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhawanipur constituency in the upcoming Assembly elections.
"Chandra Kumar Bose will be BJP's candidate against Mamata Banerjee," Union Minister Smriti Irani told a press conference in Kolkata. BJP is trying hard to make its presence felt in the state where it had drawn a blank in the Assembly polls and the party believes that a high-pitched battle against the TMC chief could be of help.
Bose said the change for which people had voted TMC to power in 2011 had not come and only BJP was capable of bringing it. Asked about his chances, Bose said it was not about him, but about the people of West Bengal.
'BJP will rout TMC'
Talking to the media after this announcement, Bose expressed confidence that the BJP would rout the TMC in the assembly polls while stating it is high time that a pro-development government should come and govern West Bengal. "For 34 years, there was CPI (M) government in West Bengal after which the state sought a change and voted for the Trinamool Congress. But if you ask the people of the state, they will say the change which occurred was not good the Trinamool acted like the previous government," Bose told the media in the national capital.
"But now, the time has come that good changes should be brought in the state. The BJP will bring the desired changes and help Bengal develop as there has been no development in the state... The law and order situation has collapsed, no investments are comings in the state and the factories have shut down," he added.
Bose, however, refused to disclose whether he would be the BJP's chief ministerial candidate in the polls. "I don't know who will be the CM candidate, but yes I will be contesting from Bhawanipore," he said.
Tough contest
The TMC supremo had emerged victorious in the Bhawanipore assembly by-election in 2011 by a convincing margin of 54,213 votes. She defeated her rival Nandini Mukhopadhyay of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
The Bhawanipore seat falls in the Kolkata Dakshin Lok Sabha constituency.
The Election Commission had on Friday announced the dates for the West Bengal assembly elections. The first phase of the six-phase voting will take place on April 4 and 11, while the second and third phases will be conducted on April 17 and 21, respectively. The last three phases of elections will take place on April 25 and 30 April and May 5, whereas the votes will be counted and results will be declared on May 19.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Chandra Bose")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}