Kolkata, April 1 (NationPress) The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has officially unveiled candidates for the final 10 Assembly seats in West Bengal, just ahead of the two-phase elections set for later this month.

Previously, on March 29, the AICC had declared candidates for 284 out of the total 294 Assembly seats in the state.

With this latest announcement, the party has completed its candidate list for all 294 constituencies. The newly announced seats include Alipurduars, Islampur, Gazole, Farakka, Sagardighi, Beldanga, Baduria, Ashoknagar, Sreerampore, and Pataspur.

Notably, no prominent political figures are included in this latest candidate listing.

The Congress party has opted to contest independently in all 294 Assembly constituencies, effectively ending its previous electoral alliance with the CPI(M)-led Left Front.

This alliance had been in place since the 2016 Assembly elections, continuing until the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In the 2021 Assembly elections, both the Congress and the Left Front failed to secure any seats in the state.

The two-phase Assembly elections in West Bengal are scheduled for April 23 and April 29, with polling set to occur in 152 constituencies during the first phase and 142 constituencies in the second phase.

The electoral battle in the state is anticipated to be a four-way contest, featuring the Trinamool Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the CPI(M)-led Left Front, and the Congress.

In certain minority-dominated areas, the collaboration between the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Humayun Kabir’s Aam Aadmi Unnayan Party (AAUP) could also influence the election dynamics.

Earlier on Wednesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticized the Congress for not heeding her call for support concerning the Trinamool Congress’ campaign against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, both in the state and nation-wide.

She accused the Congress of not treating the SIR matter with the seriousness it deserves, nor offering assistance to voters during this revision.

“I have urged them multiple times to collaborate against the SIR and engage the Election Commission of India (ECI). Yet, they declined our request. They showed no concern for the voters during the revision phase. Only the booth-level agents of the Trinamool Congress supported the voters throughout this process,” the Chief Minister stated at an election rally in Nabagram, Murshidabad, a region where the Congress retains significant backing.

While addressing the rally, the Chief Minister further charged the Election Commission of India with unfairly targeting her constituency of Bhabanipur in south Kolkata. “A significant number of voters' names have been removed from the Bhabanipur electoral list. Nevertheless, I will continue to fight and ultimately emerge victorious,” she asserted.