The Election Commission of India has canceled the nomination of Trinamool Congress candidate Avinabha Bhattacharya from Krishnanagar (Uttar) Assembly constituency in West Bengal. This decision was made due to Bhattacharya’s business agreement with the West Bengal government, which violated election rules. Consequently, Somnath Dutta has become the main party candidate for the upcoming elections in that constituency.
The cancellation of Bhattacharya’s nomination was done under Section 9A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which prohibits individuals with government job involvement or government business interests from contesting elections. The Election Commission found that Bhattacharya’s status as a state government contractor made him ineligible to run for office.
In response to the cancellation, Bhattacharya expressed disappointment and stated that he would not follow the directives of his party leadership. Trinamool Congress member Mahua Moitra confirmed the change, announcing Somnath Dutta as the new candidate for Krishnanagar (Uttar) Assembly seat. The party had anticipated such a development and had already nominated Dutta as a backup candidate before the deadline.
Similarly, in a previous incident involving the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2024, the nomination of Debashis Dhar for Birbhum Lok Sabha constituency was revoked for failing to provide a ‘no dues’ certificate from the West Bengal government post his resignation from the police service. Consequently, Debtanu Bhattacharya became the new BJP candidate for the constituency.
