Bengal Polls 2021: BJP pits Suvendu Adhikari against Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram

Former Indian cricketer Ashok Dinda has been fielded in Moyna while ex-Indian Police Service (IPS) officer-politician Bharati Ghosh will contest from Debra.

Ghosh will take on Trinamool candidate and another former IPS officer Humayun Kabir.

The BJP Saturday released the names of candidates for 56 of 60 seats which will go to polls in the first two phases Mar 27 and Apr 1.

One seat has been left for ally AJSU while the saffron camp is yet to announce the names for three more seats.

Amidst all the seats, Nandigram has grabbed the limelight as Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee will take on her former lieutenant Adhikari.

Adhikari, who had led the 2007 Nandigram land movement which helped Banerjee to become the Chief Minister four years later, dumped the Trinamool and joined the BJP in Dec 2019.

While Banerjee is contesting from the lone seat Nandigram, Adhikari has said he would defeat the Chief Minister by 50,000 votes.

Immediately after the candidate list was announced, BJP co-in charge of West Bengal, Amit Malviya tweeted, "The BJP has announced Shri Suvendu Adhikari as its candidate from Nandigram. Mamata Banerjee will soon join the inglorious list of incumbent Chief Ministers to lose their own elections. Let the drums roll..."