Kolkata: The Left Front, on Thursday, announced its second list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections, naming nominees for 32 constituencies.
The list has drawn attention for the inclusion of 29-year-old Afrin Begum, whose recent appearance at a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had already sparked curiosity.
Afrin was seen alongside CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Salim and leader Shamik Lahiri during the meeting with the Election Commission, where issues such as the inclusion of new voters were raised.
Addressing the media after the meeting, Salim introduced Afrin, noting that she had actively participated in the discussion and posed pointed questions to the Commission.
Begum has been associated with organisational work across Kolkata and South 24-Parganas. A former activist of the SFI, she studied at Holy Child Girls’ Higher Secondary School and later pursued philosophy at Jadavpur University.
She is currently a research scholar at the university.
Her involvement in various Left-led mass movements has contributed to her growing political visibility. Party sources said she became more actively involved in organisational responsibilities after the CPI(M)’s West Bengal state conference in 2025.
Another face that catches attention is Professor Partha Pratim Biswas of Jadavpur University. He has been fielded from the Tollygunge seat.
The second list comprises 28 CPI(M) candidates, along with one from the RSP and three from the CPI. Notably, senior CPI(M) leaders Mohammed Salim and Sujan Chakraborty are not in the fray this time. Both had contested in the previous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections as prominent party faces.