Nearly 12 hours after creating his new political party, Humayun Kabir, a suspended Trinamool Congress leader and MLA, retracted the candidacy of one of his party’s 10 candidates. The candidate, Nisha Chatterjee, designated for the Ballygunge Assembly constituency in Kolkata, had her nomination withdrawn due to the presence of revealing photos on her social media account. Consequently, Kabir announced that Nisha Chatterjee would no longer represent his newly-formed Janata Unnayan Party (JUP).
On Monday, Kabir introduced his new political entity in Beldanga, Murshidabad district, and disclosed the names of potential candidates for ten Assembly constituencies, with Nisha Chatterjee being one of them. Initially, Kabir had planned to field Nisha Chatterjee as the candidate for the Ballygunge Assembly constituency, even sharing a stage with her for photographs.
Nisha Chatterjee, a newcomer to politics with a background in social service activities in West Bengal, expressed surprise at being nominated by Kabir for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. However, Kabir swiftly reversed his decision after images and videos of Chatterjee circulated on social media, deeming her social media presence unsuitable for a legislative role. He pledged to reveal a new candidate for the Ballygunge Assembly constituency, specifically a Muslim candidate, within a week.
Following the abrupt change, Nisha Chatterjee criticized Kabir for hastily appointing and then revoking her candidacy, emphasizing that she did not actively seek the nomination. She asserted that Kabir unilaterally made her a candidate and subsequently rescinded the decision, questioning the right to regulate women’s conduct and liberty.
