Trinamul rebels vow to stay in fray as Independent candidates

Sachhidanda Banerjee, Tanima Chatterjee and Ratan Malakar have nominated themselves as Independent candidates from wards 72, 68 and 73, respectively

Representational image.: File photo

Arkamoy Datta Majumdar   |   TT  |  Calcutta   |   03.12.21: The Trinamul Congress is facing resistance from three of its leaders who filed nomination as Independent candidates after being denied tickets by the party.

Sachhidanda Banerjee, Tanima Chatterjee and Ratan Malakar have nominated themselves as Independent candidates from wards 72, 68 and 73, respectively.

Banerjee had unsuccessfully contested the 2015 civic polls as a Trinamul candidate from Ward 70. He lost then to the BJP’s Asim Basu, who later defected to Trinamul and is the ruling party’s candidate from the ward this time.

Banerjee was upset with Basu’s induction and has been inactive in the party since then. He has now filed his nomination against Trinamul state president Subrata Bakshi’s brother Sandipranjan Bakshi from Ward 72.

Sources close to Banerjee said he has spoken to senior leaders Debashis Kumar, Firhad Hakim and to the offices of state president Bakshi and national general-secretary Abhishek Banerjee. Kamarhati MLA Madan Mitra was sent to convince Banerjee to change his decision, but he has clarified his position in all his conversations and said he would contest the election.

“I am not part of Trinamul. They cannot suspend or expel me. I have decided to fight because the local Trinamul workers want me to. If I withdraw now it would be betraying them,” said Banerjee, who was the chairman of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation between 2010 and 2015.

Malakar, who filed his nomination against Mamata’s sister-in-law Kajari Banerjee, was the councillor of the ward and was denied a ticket. Malakar has said he hasn’t decided on whether he would withdraw the nomination.

Chatterjee said there was no question of withdrawal. A sister of deceased stalwart Subrata Mukherjee, she was nominated by the party, but was soon replaced to accommodate former councillor Sudarshana Mukherjee.