BJP announces candidates for West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh bypoll

NEW DELHI: The Central Election Committee (CEC) of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday released a list of candidates for the upcoming bye-elections to be held in West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh.

The party has decided to field Tsering Lhamu from Arunachal Pradesh's Lumla (ST) seat and Dilip Saha from West Bengal's Sagardighi seat.

Earlier in January, the Election Commission announced the schedule for the bye-elections to six assembly seats across five states.

Bye-elections to one assembly constituency, each in Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and two assembly constituencies in Maharashtra will be held on February 27. The parliamentary constituency of Lakshadweep will also vote in bypolls on February 27.

The counting of votes to all bypolls will be held on March 2.

Lakshadweep's parliamentary constituency will go to the polls due to the disqualification of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Mohammed Faizal PP.

In Arunachal Pradesh's Lumla the seat was vacant after the death of BJP leader Jambey Tashi and in Jharkhand's Ramgarh the election was necessary because of the disqualification of Congress leader Mamta Devi.

The election was necessitated after the death of Congress leader Thiru E Thirumahan Everaa from Tamil Nadu's Erode (east) and West Bengal's Sagardighi seat was vacant after the death of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Subrata Saha.

The election in Maharashtra's Kasba Peth and Chinchwad was necessary because of the death of BJP leaders Mukta Shailesh Tilak and Laxman Pandurang Jagtap respectively.

February 7 is the last date for filing nominations.

The scrutiny of nominations will be done on February 8 while the last Date for Withdrawal of candidatures is February 10.