Denied Tickets, 74 TMC MLAs Turn Rebels

Kolkata: There has been a rebellion in West Bengal’s ruling Trinamul Congress, with most of the 74 MLAs who were denied tickets by the party for next month’s Assembly elections. One of them, Tapan Chatterjee, MLA of Purbasthali Uttar in Burdwan East, accused the party’s political consultancy firm I-PAC of demanding ₹ 20 lakh to give him another chance.

Allegedly: “I-PAC asked me for 20 lakh rupees. Those who paid this amount bought tickets. If I had paid, I would have bought them. What is the harm in speaking against my party? Even my security has been withdrawn. I don’t know why he is so angry with me even though my party remains with the people.”

Another TMC leader, Arabul Islam, an MLA, has joined the Indian Secular Front, a new minority-oriented group in the opposition. Known as the strongman of Bhangar in South 24 Parganas, he was the Trinamul MLA from 2006 to 2011.

Among those who openly criticized the TMC were Manoranjan Byapari from Balagarh, Rabindranath Ghosh from Natabari, Asit Majumdar from Chinsurah, Abdur Rahim Kazi from Baduria.

Meanwhile, Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari has launched his poll campaign in Bhowanipore, where he is contesting against chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

Promising to conduct his door-to-door campaign near the TMC supremo’s residence in Kalighat, the BJP candidate predicted victory against him this time by a margin of 25,000 votes. He also visited Bhowanipore police station to find out the number of cases filed against him to file election nomination papers.