BJP fields Agnimitra Paul for Lok Sabha against Shatrughan from Asansol

BJP has announced Agnimitra Paul as its candidate for the Lok Sabha by-polls from Asansol and fielded Keya Ghosh from the Ballygunge assembly constituency for the by-polls in West Bengal against former union minister Babul Supriyo.

New Delhi: The BJP has announced party legislator Agnimitra Paul as its candidate for the Lok Sabha by-polls from Asansol in West Bengal.

In what is seen as a keen and high-profile battle, she will be pitted against Trinamool Congress candidate, former BJP and ex-Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha. 

Actress Agnimitra Paul is the MLA from Asansol South assembly constituency and general secretary of the West Bengal BJP. In 2021, Ms Agnimitra Paul won the prestigious assembly seat by defeating fellow actress Sayani Ghosh of Trinamool Congress by a margin of 4487 votes.

BJP has fielded Keya Ghosh from the Ballygunge assembly constituency for the by-polls in West Bengal against former union minister Babul Supriyo. The Asansol parliamentary constituency fell vacant after Babul Supriyo resigned his seat and also quit the BJP. BJP has a strong base in the Asansol region bordering the Dhanbad region of Jharkhand, having won the seat twice in 2014 and 2019.

Shatrughan Sinha, a former BJP leader, joined Congress in 2019 but lost the election from Patna to BJP nominee Ravi Shankar Prasad.  

For the Rajya Sabha biennial polls, the BJP has given tickets to S. Phangnon Konyak from Nagaland, Dr Manik Saha from Tripura, Pabitra Margherita from Assam and Dr Sikandra Kumar from Himachal Pradesh.

Polling for the Rajya Sabha biennial polls will be held on March 31, and counting of votes will take place after the end of voting on the same day. 

Polling for Lok Sabha seat in Asansol and one assembly constituency each in West Bengal (Ballygunge), Chhattisgarh (Khairagarh), Bihar (Bochahan) and Maharashtra (Kolhapur North) will be held on April 12. The counting of votes will take place on April 16.