In a significant development Bengal Imams Associations (BIA)’s chairman Md Yahiya threatened to contest in Ballygunge bypolls if the ruling Trinamul Congress does not withdraw Mr Babul Supriyo as a candidate of the party in the assembly constituency.

While speaking to The Statesman this evening the BIA chief, Yahiya said, “We won’t accept Babul Supriyo as a Trinamul Congress candidate from Ballygunge assembly. I would field myself as an Independent candidate there if Mamata Banerjee does withdraw Babul from the constituency that has more than 60 per cent minority vote share to make a decisive role for the winner belonging to any political party.”

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“We still remember the shocking incident of riots in Asansol in 2018 when a 16 year-old son of a local imam was killed. Babul Supriyo was the then BJP MP from Asansol and no secular political party could field him as a candidate in any elections and we strongly protest against Mamata Banerjee’s decision,” he said.

According to him, Ballygunge assembly has seven municipal wards (60, 61, 64, 65, 68, 69 and 85) with more than 60 per cent minority voters. For instance, Ward 60 has 95 per cent while wards 61 and 64 have 75 percent Muslim voters each. Therefore, minority votes play an important role to decide the fate of the winning candidate in constituency, he said. Around 22,000 of 35,000 imams across the state are members of the BIA.

TMC today announced the name of Babul Supriyo, former minister of state in the Narendra Modi cabinet, and also fielded Mr Shatrughna Sinha, dissident BJP leader, in Asansol Lok Sabha by-elections to be held also on 12 April.

Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday announced by-polls in Ballygunge constituency, necessitated after the death of former minister Subrata Mukherjee while Asansol Lok Sabha seat would go for by-elections after the local BJP MP Babul resigned and joined the Trinamul Congress.

Political observers in the city felt that the BIA chief’s strong protest against the ruling party’s decision to nominate Babul as a candidate is politically significant particularly against the backdrop of the alleged mysterious murder of student leader Anish Khan in Amta. The incident has already rocked the state landing the Mamata Banerjee government in trouble owing to massive protest programmes organized by students community demanding a court-monitored CBI inquiry to probe the case, they felt.