EC to hold Bypolls for 3 Assembly Seats in West Bengal on Sep 30

The Election Commission of India on Saturday announced conducting by-elections to three seats in WestBengal including the Bhabanipur seat where chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mamata Banerjee intends to contest. The by-polls will be conducted on Bhabanipur, Samserganj and Jangipur in West Bengal. The by-polls to the three seats will be conducted on September 30 and the results will be declared on October 3.

The Trinamool Congress had made requests to the poll body to conduct the bypoll in view of the Constitutional exigency involved. The announcement comes as a relief to Mamata Banerjee who needs to win the by-poll to get elected as MLA and continues to be the Chief Minister. Mamata Banerjee had lost her seat to BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari with a narrow margin. Bhabanipur – which is Mamata Banerjee’s constituency – is currently vacant after MLA Sovandeb Chatterjee resigned after winning the seat. The annocuncement comes as the TMC had gone to EC thrice to conduct the by-polls. Mamata is expected to file nominations from Bhabanipur in Kolkata which was vacated by TMC candidate Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, days after results in May this year. According to an Election Commission press note, the West Bengal chief secretary has informed that in view of administrative exigencies and public interest and to avoid a vacuum in the state, bypolls for Bhabanipur, from where chief minister Banerjee intends to contest elections, may be conducted.