With the ruling Trinamool Congress desperate to retain its place in Bengal politics against the backdrop of the Saradha scam probe, the left trying to gain the lost ground beneath its feet and the BJP trying to get a toehold in the State Assembly buoyed by its encouraging the performance in the lok Sabha elections, the two Assembly seats of Bengal go to the crucial by-elections on Saturday.
Chowrunghee seat was emptied after rebel Trinamool MlA resigned from her post and the Basirhat seat fell vacant after sitting CPI(M) MlA Narayan Mukherjee died.BJP’s Ritesh Tewari is contesting from Chowrunghee while his party colleague Samik Bhattacharya is fighting from Basirhat South seat. The TMC has fielded Naina Banerjee the wife of Sudip Bandopadhyay from Chworunghee while it has fielded a former footballer from Basirhat.