Ahead of Assembly By-Elections 2021 in West Bengal, Congress on Thursday announced Raju Pal as a candidate from the Santipur constituency, said All India Congress Committee.

The by-polls in four Assembly constituencies are to be held on October 30 in West Bengal. “Congress President Sonia Gandhi has approved the candidature of Raju Pal as Congress candidate for the ensuing by-election to the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal from 86 – Santipur Assembly Constituency,” said AICC press statement.

The Election Commission of India, earlier on September 28, announced by-polls for three parliamentary and 30 assembly seats across 15 states and Union territories (UTs) in the country.

Among the four Assembly seats on which bypolls will be held, analysts feel that Dinhata will witness the most fierce contest among the four seats as the BJP is perceived to have rapidly expanded its base in north Bengal.

The party bagged seven of the region’s eight Lok Sabha seats in 2019, and 30 of the 54 assembly seats in the eight north Bengal districts although the TMC won 213 of the state’s 294 seats.

The Dinhata seat fell vacant after the local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha member Nisith Pramanik, who contested the March-April election and won by 57 votes in a close contest, did not take oath to remain in the Lok Sabha. He was appointed Union minister of state for home affairs in July.

The ECI announced by-elections on assembly constituencies including –Badvel (SC) in Andhra Pradesh; Gossaigaon, Bhabanipur, Tamulpur and Mariani, Thowra in Assam; Kusheshwar Asthan (SC) and Tarapur in Bihar; Ellenabad in Haryana; Fatehpur, Arki, and Jubbal- Kotkhai in Himachal Pradesh; Sindgi and Hangal in Karnataka; Prithvipur, Raigaon (SC) and Jobat (ST) in Madhya Pradesh; Deglur (SC) in Maharashtra; Mawryngkneng (ST), Mawphlang (ST), and Rajabala in Meghalaya; Tuirial (ST) in Mizoram; Shamtorr-Chessore (ST) in Nagaland; Vallabhnagar and Dhariawad (ST) in Rajasthan; Huzurabad in Telangana; and Dinhata, Santipur, Khardaha, and Gosaba(SC) in West Bengal.
The last date for filing nominations is October 8.

The ECI has scheduled the examination of nominations on October 11, while the last date for withdrawal of nominations is set as October 13.

(With ANI inputs)