The Trinamool Congress (TMC) will face an electoral test tomorrow with Bongaon Lok Sabha constituency and Krishnagunj assembly seat going to polls.
The Bongaon constituency fell vacant after the death of the head of the Matua organisation or the Matua sanghapati, Kapil Krishna Thakur. While the Trinamool has fielded Kapil Krishna's widow Mamatabala for the seat, the by-poll has acquired immense significance for the ruling party especially in the wake of Thakur's brother Manjul Krishna Thakur - an influential minister from Banerjee's cabinet - resigning and joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The BJP has fielded Manjul Khrishna Thakur's son Subrata Thakur as its candidate for Bongaon seat. Subrata was earlier a member of the Trinamool-run panchayat samiti at Thakurnagar, in North 24 Parganas district .
The CPI(M) candidate for the Bongaon Lok Sabha seat is Debesh Das, who came second in 2014 Lok Sabha poll from the same constituency. The Congress has fielded party activist Kuntal Mondal as its candidate from the seat.
The results of tomorrow's polls will be keenly awaited, as the ruling party is seemingly cornered by the probe into the Saradha scam.
Moreover, the poll machinery which is controlled by all-India general secretary, Mukul Roy, is disenchanted with the leadership. However, political observers also believe that if the Left and the BJP pull some votes, then the TMC could emerge as the ultimate beneficiary.
For the Krishnagunj assembly seat too, it is likely to be a four-way fight. The Trinamool Congress has fielded local party leader Satyajit Biswas from this the seat.
The CPI(M) has nominated physician Apurba Biswas and BJP has fielded Professor Manabendra Roy for the seat. Congress has fielded local party activist Nityagopal Mondal from the seat.
The Krishnagunj bypoll was necessitated by the death of Trinamool MLA Sushil Biswas.
