West Bengal poll: Cong announces names of 43 candidates

Congress tonight announced names of its candidates for 43 seats for West Bengal assembly poll and indicated it would contest around 90 of total 294 constituencies as part of its "strategic alliance" with the CPI(M)-led Left Front.
Former state Congress chief Manash Bhuniya is the party's candidate from Sabang in West Midnapore, while state CLP leader Md Sohrab has been nominated from Jangipur in Murshidabad.
Most of the sitting MLAs have been renominated except for former AICC Secretary D P Roy, who had protested against the alliance with the Left parties.
Biswaranjan Sarkar has been brought in as the new candidate from Alipurduar which was being represented by Roy in the outgoing Assembly. Roy had informed party chief Sonia Gandhi that he would not contest the poll.

A senior AICC leader, who declined to be identified, said that the party would contest a "minimum of 90" seats while talks in state party circles is that Congress would put up candidates in a total of 93 seats.
In the last Assembly polls, Congress had contested 61 seats in alliance with Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress which led to ouster of the CPI(M)-led Left Front after over 33 years in power.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been sharply critical of the strategic alliance between the Congress and the Left.