New Delhi:

Trinamool leader Mahua Moitra must overcome a challenge from the Bharatiya Janata Party newcomer Amrita Roy, the matriarch of the local royal family, if she wants to Winning back the Krishnanagar Lok Sabha seat from which she was controversially ousted last year.

Rajmata (or Queen Mother) Amrita Roy was named in the BJP’s fifth list on Sunday, which includes quite a few surprises; Actors Kangana Ranaut and Arun Govil to contest Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, while Varun Gandhi quit Pilibhit in UP.

The identity of Ms Moitra’s opponent in next month’s election was revealed days after the Central Bureau of Investigation registered a police case and raided her Kolkata home in a cash enquiry. In response, Ms Moitra took a jibe at the fact that the BJP has not yet nominated a candidate for the Krishna Nagar seat.

CBI is back in my election office today. Very polite. Searched. Nothing was found.at the same time @sayani06 &I am still looking for a BJP candidate to run against us. pic.twitter.com/njt8VXWnuH

— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) March 23, 2024

Mahua Moitra, 49, easily won the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, securing 45% of the votes, leading the BJP’s Kalyan Chaubey by more than 60,000 votes.

Since then, the former investment banker has grown into one of the BJP’s fiercest critics, delivering impassioned speeches in parliament and stinging attacks on social media that have earned her clashes with union ministers, saffron party leaders and right-wing figures. Troll.

Krishna Nagar has been controlled by Trinamool since 2009, when Tapas Paul wrested it from the CPIM, which ruled here from 1971 to 1999, Unchallenged. The Left Party is unlikely to be a contender in this election and it will be a straight fight.this rajmatawho has the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party, hopes to defeat the Trinamool led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The Trinamool’s renomination of Mahua Moitra from Krishna Nagar was seen as an act of defiance against the BJP – after she was controversially ousted over corruption allegations. The BJP issued a challenge.

Read | Trinamool sends defiant message to BJP as it retains Mahua Moitra as poll candidate

The party took some time to come to Ms Moitra’s aid but is now firmly united behind her. Ms Banerjee described her dismissal as a “murder of democracy”.

For the Trinamool, Ms Moitra has emerged as one of the central figures in this battle with the BJP, a repeat of the bitter (and in many cases) battles in the 2021 state polls.

Read | ‘Mahua will win the battle’: Mamata condemns Trinamool MPs’ expulsion

Mamata Banerjee’s party is nominally a member of India’s opposition bloc.

On the ground, however, the Trinamool is competing on its own terms. There is no seat-sharing agreement with Indian members, which in Bangladesh includes the Indian Congress.

Bengal has 42 Lok Sabha seats, second only to Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, making it a key state for the BJP which hopes to win more than 370 seats on its own.

A good result in Bangladesh (18 points last time) is crucial.

Marwa Moitra was fired. what happened?

Ms Moitra was fired less than four months ago over corruption charges.

Read | Marwa Moitra expelled from parliament: ‘Her behavior was immoral and indecent’

She allegedly took Rs 2 crore in cash and “lavish gifts” from businessman Darshan Hiranandani to raise issues critical of the government in Parliament. She is also accused of sharing the login details of her confidential account on the parliament website.

She denied the bribery allegations (but said she did share the portal’s credentials, arguing it was common practice among lawmakers). The Supreme Court will hear the case in May.