The BJP national leadership on Thursday declared its candidates' list for the Bengal Assembly elections. Among the 194 candidates whose names were announced in the Capital are film actress Rupa Ganguly of the Draupadi fame, in BT Chopra's Mahabharata of the 1990s, and former Bengal BJP president Rahul Sinha.
While Sinha would contest from Jorasanko in North-west Kolkata Ganguly will fight from North Howrah seat where she will be pitched against Trinamool Congress candidate and former India player laxmi Ratan Shukla.
She is among the 26 woman candidates of the BJP in the fray. Another Bengali film actress who is contesting in the election is locket Chatterjee. She is fighting from Mayureshwar in Birbhum district.
With the Friday's list the total number of saffron candidates in the fray moved up to 246. Bengal Assembly has 294 seats. The Friday's
announcement was made after a meeting of the party's central election committee. The meeting was attended among others by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party all India president Amit Shah.
The BJP's CEC secretary JP Nadda said that the party had given representation to all section of society adding young candidates had been preferred to the older ones.
While senior party leader Amitava Roy will contest from Barrackpore, a known face in the State leadership Ritesh Tewari will try his luck from Chowrunghee seat in north-central Kolkata. Suman Banerjee will contest from English
Bazar.