Statesman News Service
MALDA, 19 OCT: Mr Pradip Bhattacharya, working president of West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee, said that Mr AN Khan Choudhury would be the party candidate in Sujapur by-election, if his name is included in the electoral rolls in Malda tomorrow.
“There is no confusion about the nomination of a candidate. If the electoral registration officer (ERO) includes Mr Khan Choudhury's name in the voters’ list tomorrow, he would contest the Sujapur bypolls as the Congress candidate,” Mr Bhattacharya told The Statesman over phone from Kolkata today.
“The party had announced the name of Mr Hamidur Rahaman as "the second alternative candidate" in any case Mr Khan Choudhury's appeal is rejected,” Mr Bhattacharya added. Controversy broke out over the Congress candidate's ticket for the Sujapur bypolls after Mr Khan Choudhury's name was rejected due to some technical problem related to electoral roles and the AICC finally announced the name of Mr Hamidur Rahman as the Congress candidate for the polls following the South Malda MP, Mr AH Khan Choudhury's recommendation.
The working president of Malda district Congress committee, Mrs Sabitri Mitra said that the South Malda MP, who is also the district Congress president, informed her over the phone from New Delhi yesterday, that he would talk to Mr Pranab Mukherjee, the PCC chief and Union finance minister, for the reconsideration of his brother's name as a candidate.
The vice-president of the Malda Congress committee, Mr Masidur Rahman said: “We are waiting for the final verdict from the ERO tomorrow when we will be also get the letter of symbol allotment.”
The ERO Mr Prakash Pal will conduct a hearing tomorrow to take the final decision to include Mr AN Khan Choudhury's name following his application.
Mr AN Khan Choudhury is not a voter at present as his name was struck off from the voters' list initially in New Delhi and after a few days from Malda following his appeal.
Mr AN Khan Choudhury, who is the brother of the South Malda MP, applied again to the ERO on 12 October requesting him to include his name in the voters’ list so that he could file the nomination to contest the by-poll.
The ERO, Mr Pal, who is also the Malda SDO, had issued a public notice on 12 October for inclusion of his name.
A section of Congress leaders are still apprehending that the CPI-M may lodge a protest against the acceptance of Mr Khan Choudhury's nomination during scrutiny that is to be held on 22 October, while the last of date of filing nomination is 21 October.
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