West Bengal Assembly Elections: BJP releases second list for polls, fields 111 candidates

Kolkata: The BJP's second list for the West Bengal Assembly elections spans a wide spectrum - from the Sandeshkhali protest face and actors to a former police commissioner, former Union minister, sitting MLAs and lawyers - covering 111 more constituencies.

With this, the party has announced 255 candidates for the 294-member Assembly. Its first list, released on March 14, named 144 candidates. The remaining 39 are yet to be declared.

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Former Union minister of state for home Nisith Pramanik has been fielded from Mathabhanga in Cooch Behar, a politically significant district for the BJP, where he lost in the last Lok Sabha polls.

Rekha Patra, the face of the Sandeshkhali protest, will contest from Hingalganj. Ex-Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajesh Kumar has been named from Jagatdal in North 24 Parganas.

In Sonarpur South, Roopa Ganguly will take on sitting Trinamool MLA and actor Lovely Moitra in what is seen as a key contest in a Trinamool stronghold. Another actor-turned-politician, Papiya Adhikari, has been fielded from Tollygunge, where she will face minister Aroop Biswas.

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Former Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh has been nominated from Noapara in North 24 Parganas, where he will take on Trinamool youth leader Trinankur Bhattacharya.