Trinamool leader Mahua Moitra to contest first-time candidate of Bharatiya Janata Party Amrita Roy who is the matriarch of a local royal family. Roy aims to reclaim the Krishnanagar Lok Sabha seat from which Moitra was expelled last year.
Mahua Moitra secured a comfortable win in Krishnanagar, obtaining 45 per cent of the votes, surpassing the BJP's Kalyan Chaubey by over 60,000 votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
Trinamool leader Mahua Moitra to contest first-time candidate of Bharatiya Janata Party Amrita Roy who is the matriarch of a local royal family. Roy aims to reclaim the Krishnanagar Lok Sabha seat from which Moitra was expelled last year.
The Bharatiya Janata Party 5th candidates list stored a lot of surprises as they fielded celebrities like Kanagna Ranaut and Arun Govil from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi and Uttar Pradesh's Meerut along with ex-Calcutta Judge Abhijit Gangopadhya and a victim of Sandeshkhali violence from controversial Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal.
BJP candidate for Krishnanagar Amrita Roy is known as 'Rajmata' locally for her royal lineage.
Roy officially became a member of the BJP on March 20, 2024, with the presence of Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of opposition in West Bengal.
Reportedly, Suvendu Adhikari expressed interest in selecting Roy as a candidate for the Lok Sabha.
Notably, Roy's association with politics is directly linked to the royal palace of Krishnanagar, where Maharaja Krishna Chandra Roy's name is still revered and honored in the state.
Roy spoke to Anandabazar Online after her candidature was announced and she said, "In the history of Nadia, everyone knows the contribution of Raja Krishnachandra. The role of the Krishnanagar royal family in India's independence is still remembered by all. Not just a queen, but to be the voice of the common people is why I come to the field of elections. I hope people will raise both hands to bless."
Earlier Moitra mocked BJP for not naming anyone for the Krishnanagar seat so far while CBI raided her house as part of the ongoing cash-for-query case that led to the disqualification of her role as a Member of Parliament.
In a post on X, Moitra shared a photo of herself with TMC candidate Sayani Ghosh for Jadavpur seat in WB holding binoculars as she wrote, "The CBI came home & to my election offices today. Were very polite. Searched. Found nothing. Meanwhile @sayani06 & I still searching for BJP candidates against us."
Mahua Moitra secured a comfortable win in Krishnanagar, obtaining 45 per cent of the votes, surpassing the BJP's Kalyan Chaubey by over 60,000 votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
Battle of words and strong criticism between Mahua Moitra and several BJP leaders in Parliament and on social media has made headlines eversince.
Krishnanagar has been under Trinamool control since 2009. Before that, the CPIM was in charge from 1971 to 1999.
In this election, the Left party isn't expected to compete. It's shaping up to be a head-to-head battle between Moitra and Roy, supported by the BJP marking it as a significant seat for both parties.
After Moitra's highly controversial expulsion over corruption accusations, TMC's decision to nominate Mahua Moitra again from Krishnanagar is viewed as deliberate action to challenge BJP.
CM Mamata Banerjee called Moitra's expulsion 'murder of democracy'.
TMC is technically part of the opposition bloc but they will be running independently in West Bengal as they refused to make any agreements to share seats with other opposition parties like CPIM and Congress in Bengal.