Swapna Barman's Trinamool Candidacy in Jeopardy Amid Railway Resignation Delays
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Kolkata, March 24 (NationPress) A cloud of uncertainty hangs over Swapna Barman, the Trinamool Congress candidate for the Rajganj Assembly seat in Jalpaiguri district and an Asian Games gold medalist, even before she has submitted her nomination papers.
As a railway employee, Swapna is currently under an internal inquiry initiated by the Railways due to allegations that she has engaged with a political party.
In her defense, she mentioned that she submitted her resignation on March 16, but claims that the Railways have been slow to act on it.
In light of this situation, she has filed a petition with the Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court, according to insiders from her party.
Swapna has been with the Railways since 2020 and holds the position of Staff and Welfare Inspector in the Alipurduar Division. She officially joined the Trinamool Congress last month, and her candidacy for the Rajganj Assembly seat was announced earlier this month.
Though she submitted her resignation application on March 16, the Railways had already charged her with disciplinary misconduct for attending a political rally on March 9.
With the Indian Railways neither accepting her resignation nor issuing the necessary No Objection Certificate (NOC), she may face significant challenges in filing her nomination papers.
To preempt these complications, she has already approached the Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court in Jalpaiguri. She argues that despite submitting her resignation on March 16, the Railways have yet to process it.
The Calcutta High Court has instructed her to re-submit her resignation and has directed the Railways to address her resignation application within the next 48 hours. If the Railways fail to do so, her candidacy could be jeopardized.
Meanwhile, Swapna is grappling with personal loss, having just lost her father, who had been ill for some time.
Her father was hospitalized in a private facility in Siliguri, where he ultimately passed away.
As a result of her father's death, she has been unable to fully engage in her election campaign. This situation has further raised doubts about her candidacy.