Manicktala Assembly seat: Sadhan Pande’s wife Supti likely to be TMC’s candidate

Kolkata: Supti Pande, wife of former state minister late Sadhan Pande may be given a ticket by Trinamool Congress (TMC) to contest the bypoll from the Manicktala Assembly constituency.

Sources said that TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday has given her nod as to who will be her party candidate from Manicktala.

Banerjee on Tuesday held a meeting with the members of the core committee that she had formed on Monday for the selection of candidates for Manicktala bypoll. It was learnt that Banerjee had sought suggestions from her party leaders present in the meeting. Sadhan Pande’s wife was also asked to be present.

The councillors from those wards of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) that fall under the Manicktala Assembly constituency also attended the meeting.

Trinamool MLA Paresh Pal who was also in the core committee could not attend the meeting as he has been undergoing treatment at

the hospital. When Pal on Monday went to Nabanna to meet Banerjee, the latter said that Pal might have been affected by some ailment. Following the instruction of Banerjee, Pal was rushed to a hospital. The doctors had found that a blood clot was developing in his brain. MRI was performed. His health condition was stated to be stable on Tuesday. Banerjee on Monday had formed the core committee comprising Trinamool Congress MLA Paresh Pal, city’s Deputy Mayor Atin Ghosh, Member Mayor-in-council (MMIC) Swapan Samaddar and senior party leader

Kunal Ghosh. The Maniktala assembly seat had no MLAs for over two years after the death of former consumer affairs minister Sadhan Pande in February 2022 due to a pending petition in the Supreme Court. It was learnt that the Election Commission of India (ECI) had submitted a tentative schedule to the SC for holding the bypoll.

Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh who attended the meeting later told reporters that a discussion took place in presence of their party supremo regarding the selection of candidate. Party will divulge the name of the candidate at the right time.