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Bengal Bypolls

Image Credit: Twitter/Saira Shah Halim

Bengal bypolls: CPI-M fields Naseeruddin Shah's niece Saira Shah Halim from Ballygunge constituency

Souvik Ghosh/IBNS | @indiablooms | Mar 17, 2022, at 04:39 pm

#WestBengal #CPIM #NaseeruddinShah #SairaShahHalim #Ballygunge #Asansol #TMC #BabulSupriyo #MamataBanerjee #BJP

Kolkata/IBNS: The Left Front has fielded veteran Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah's niece Saira Shah Halim as the Communist Party of India-Marxist or CPI-M candidate for the upcoming bypolls in the Ballygunge assembly constituency of West Bengal.

Saira, who is the daughter-in-law of late Left leader Hashim Abdul Halim, will take on ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC)'s candidate in the seat, Babul Supriyo, a former Union Minister in the Narendra Modi government.

Vote for Left Front nominated @CPIM_WESTBENGAL candidate@sairashahhalim pic.twitter.com/Jv4yXvAprj
— CPI(M) WEST BENGAL (@CPIM_WESTBENGAL) March 16, 2022

The bypolls in the seat became necessitated after it fell vacant due to the demise of TMC veteran Subrata Mukherjee last year.

In 2011, Saira's husband and CPI-M leader Fuad Halim had unsuccessfully contested from the Ballygunge seat in TMC bastion south Kolkata.

The Left has fielded CPI-M candidate Partha Mukherjee as its candidate for another bypolls which will be held in the Asansol Lok Sabha constituency.

Vote for Left Front nominated @CPIM_WESTBENGAL candidate Partha Mukhopadhyay pic.twitter.com/ILpmIbVbAE
— CPI(M) WEST BENGAL (@CPIM_WESTBENGAL) March 16, 2022

The Lok Sabha seat fell vacant last year after Supriyo resigned as the MP after he dumped the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to join West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's TMC.

In Asansol, which is considered a stronghold of the BJP, the TMC has sprung a surprise by fielding actor Shatrughan Sinha in the seat.

The elections in both the seats will be held on Apr 12 and the results will be declared on 16th of the same month.

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