Kolkata, February 20 – As the initial process of selecting party candidates from the 294 constituencies in West Bengal for the upcoming state assembly elections this year has already begun, the Trinamool Congress leadership is considering changing the constituencies of some prominent members of the state cabinet and some veteran party legislators.
Party sources said that two rounds of closed-door meetings involving a select few leaders in the topmost structure of the party took place on Wednesday and Thursday at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence in Kolkata, during which initial discussions were held on selecting probable candidates for the assembly polls later this year.
Party sources said that some names of existing cabinet members and veteran party MLAs were discussed who might be fielded from different constituencies this time.
At the same time, party sources added that there were discussions on the probable names of existing party legislators who might get re-nominated this time and would be strictly utilized for organizational assignments.
The third point of discussion in the selective closed-door meetings on Wednesday and Thursday was on how to achieve a perfect balance between "old guards" and "new faces" in the candidate list this time.
The fourth and final point of discussion was about the inclusion of new non-political faces from the celebrity world and other professions, including media, in the candidate list. "There is a possibility of some major surprises in the party's candidate list this time," said Trinamool Congress sources.
Meanwhile, discussions have also started for choosing candidates for the upcoming elections for the five Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal on March 16. Out of the five Rajya Sabha seats, Trinamool Congress is set to comfortably win four, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will have to settle for one, based on the numerical strength of the two parties in the state assembly.
Party sources said that out of the four seats in the Upper House of Parliament, where the victory of Trinamool Congress candidates is assured, three will be hardcore party leaders, while one will be a non-political face with an excellent network in the political circles in the national capital.
