Former cricketer Yusuf Pathan, Mahua Moitra among names in TMC's Lok Sabha candidate list

Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress on Sunday declared its candidates for all 42 seats of West Bengal. TMC's list includes some high-profile names like former cricketer Yusuf Pathan, who is fielded from Bahrampore, a seat represented by Congress' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury since 1999. Expelled TMC MP Mahua Moitra will again contest the Lok Sabha election from the Krishnanagar seat.

The announcement of the candidates by TMC on all 42 in West Bengal is a major setback for the INDIA bloc. Earlier, Mamata Banerjee declared that she will go solo in West Bengal, but Congress sources revealed that the talks are still on.

"The Indian National Congress has repeatedly declared its desire to have a respectable seat-sharing agreement with the . The Indian National Congress has always maintained that such an agreement has to be finalized through negotiations and not by unilateral announcements. The Indian National Congress has always wanted the INDIA group to fight the BJP together," senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said.

Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of CM Mamata Banerjee is all set to defend his in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024. The other candidates on the list include Gopal Lama from Darjeeling, Nirmal Chandra Roy from Jalpaiguri, Pratima Mondal from Joynagar, Bapi Haldar from Mathurapur etc.

After Mimi Chankraborty's announcement to step down from politics, the TMC has decided to field actor Sayoni Ghosh from the Jadavpur seat of .

Notably, the party has replaced with influential leader Haji Nurul Islam amid a row in the Sandeshkhali area of West Bengal. TMC faced an intense backlash after the locals in Sandeshkhali accused its leader Shajahan Sheikh of land grabbing and sexual assault of women. Shajahan Sheikh is