West Bengal By-Polls: Mamata Banerjee names Shatrughan Sinha, Babul Supriyo as Trinamool candidates

Kolkata: Former Union Minister and veteran Bollywood actor Shatrugan Sinha will be the Trinamool Congress candidate for the by-poll in Asansol Lok Sabha constituency while singer Babul Supriyo will contest on the party symbol in the Ballyguge Assembly by-election, Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee announced on Sunday.

The Asansol seat fell vacant last year when its then sitting member Supriyo resigned from the Lok Sabha, days after quitting the BJP and joining the Trinamool on being dropped from the Union Council of Ministers.

Sinha joined the Congress from the BJP ahead of the 2019 parliamentary elections but lost from his old constituency of Patna Sahib in Bihar.

The by-poll to the Ballygunge constituency was necessitated by the death of its MLA Subrata Mukherjee late last year.

Taking to her tweeter handle, Banerjee said, "Happy to announce on behalf of the All India Trinamool Congress that Sri Shatrughan Sinha, former Union Minister and famed actor, will be our candidate in Loksabha by-election from Asansol." "Sri Babul Supriyo, former union minister and noted singer, will be our candidate in Vidhansabha by- election from Ballygunge. Jai Hind, Jai Bangla, Jai Ma- Mati- Manush," she added.

The by-polls will be held on April 12. The vote count is on April 16. (UNI)