Kolkata:

The TMC on Sunday announced its candidate list for all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, making major changes by ousting seven sitting MPs and inducting a slew of new faces, including former cricketer Yusuf Pa Yusuf Pathan.

Amid the power struggle between the so-called old guard and the next generation of leaders, the Trinamool Congress has maintained a harmonious mix of experienced leaders and new talent.

Film star-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha has been nominated again, having won the Asansol seat in the 2022 by-election on TMC ticket, while former MP Haji Nuru Islam Haji Nurul Islam replaced actor Nusrat Jahan in the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat. The embattled Sandeshkhali is located here.

While 16 of the 23 sitting MLAs were retained, the TMC chose not to renominate seven sitting MLAs, notably excluding Arjun Singh, a BJP defector who had joined the TMC two years ago, from Barak Outside Poole (Barrackpore).

Among the new faces are 12 female candidates and 26 individuals, including current MPs and former contenders.

Additionally, nine sitting MLAs, including two ministers in the West Bengal cabinet, Partha Bhowmick and Biplab Mitra, have been dragged into the Lok Sabha battle.

Addressing a massive rally at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee explained: “I have fielded candidates and some have been eliminated. Those who have not been re-elected The nominees will be accommodated during the assembly polls.

Former cricketer Yusuf Pathan has been nominated from the Baharampur Lok Sabha seat, which has traditionally been fielded by state Congress president and five-time MP Adil Ranjan. The stronghold of Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

Mahua Moitra, who was expelled from the Lok Sabha last year over a challenge case, has been reconfirmed as the party’s candidate from the Krishna Nagar seat.

Former cricketer and party leader Kirti Azad was nominated from the Bardhaman-Durgapur constituency, which she had previously lost to the BJP in 2019.

Notably, among the nine MLAs nominated in the Lok Sabha polls, BJP defectors Biswajit Das and Mukutmani Adhikari will be contesting from Ghanga, a stronghold of the Matua community Ong and Ranaghat contested the election, which the TMC lost to the BJP in 2019.

The TMC has also struck a balance between experienced leaders and fresh blood with three-time MPs Sudip Bandopadhyay, Sougata Roy, Satabdi Roy, Kalyan Banerjee and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar from North Kolkata, Dum Dum, Birbhum, Serampore and Barasat.

The party has also inducted Sayuni Ghosh, Debanshu from Jadavpur, Tamluk, the stronghold of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, Darjeeling and Medinipur constituencies. ·New faces such as Bhattacharya, Gopal Lama, MLA Joan Mallya, Babi Khadar and actress Rachana Banerjee.

The names of TMC MPs Sisir Adhikari and Dibyendu Adhikari of Kanthi and Tamluk did not appear in the candidate list and their family member Suvendu Adhikari has kept distance from the party after joining the saffron camp in December 2020.

Also, Sujata Mondal Khan has been fielded from Bishnupur seat against her ex-husband and current BJP MP Saumitra Khan.

Former IPS officer Prasun Banerjee, who resigned recently, will contest from Malda North to wrest the seat from the BJP.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)