TMC Candidate List 2021: Mamata Banerjee likely to announce contenders for all 294 Bengal Assembly seats today

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to announce the list of candidates for all 294 Assembly seats in one go for the upcoming elections in the state. The list is likely to have more women candidates and younger and new faces with a clean record.

The TMC has held back-to-back meetings in the last few days to finalise the contenders' list. The party leaders have decided not to give tickets to people above the age of 80.

Reports suggest that many sitting MLAs -- almost 75 -- according to the sources, may be dropped from the list in an effort to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) allegation that the party promotes "cut money" culture in the execution of government programmes.

The TMC is fighting the elections on the theme of ‘Bangla Nijer Meyekei Chai’ (Bengal wants its own daughter). It is expected to field over 35 per cent women candidates. 

For the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Banerjee had declared a 40.5 per cent quota for women TMC candidates. Of the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal, the TMC had given tickets to 17 women candidates.

On January 18, the CM had announced that she would contest the polls from Nandigram as well as Bhowanipur seats in the upcoming Assembly poll in 2021. She will likely fight against defected MLA Suvendu Adhikari from Nandigram.

Elections in Bengal will be held in eight phases on March 27, April 1, 6, 10, 17, 22,  26 and 29, making it the longest ever polls in the state. The votes will be counted on May 2.