In a swift political development, the Congress high command has replaced candidates in seven assembly seats across four districts of South Bengal, just a day after releasing its election manifesto.
For the first time in 20 years, the party is contesting all 294 seats in the state independently. On Wednesday, General Secretary K.C. Venugopal released the revised list of candidates for districts including Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas, and Burdwan.
The reshuffle includes significant changes: Tahir Sheikh replaces Golam Kibria Mondal in Nakashipara, and Asif Khan has been fielded in Chapra. In the Burdwan district, candidates for Raina, Ketugram, and Ausgram have been completely swapped. Additionally, Pranab Bhattacharya has been named the candidate for the Habra seat in North 24 Parganas.
Interestingly, despite violent protests and internal clashes in constituencies like Ballygunge and Shyampur, the leadership has refused to change the nominees there. With polling for these eight seats scheduled for April 29, political analysts are questioning whether this eleventh-hour reshuffle will strengthen the party’s position or lead to further internal confusion during the nomination process.