TMC buries Cong alliance hopes, names candidates for all 42 seats in Bengal; springs Yousuf Pathan surprise

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday announced 42 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, fielding expelled Lok Sabha member Mahua Moitra from Krishnanagar.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, announced the TMC candidates at a show of strength in the heart of Kolkata on Sunday.
As expected, Abhishek Banerjee is on the TMC ticket from Diamond Harbour while former Indian cricketer Yusuf Pathan has been fielded from Behrampore. He will be pitted against Congress heavyweight Adhir Chowdhury.
Mahua was expelled as a Lok Sabha MP on December 8 following the report by the Parliamentary Ethics Panel in connection with the alleged 'cash-for-query' case.
The announcement of candidates also put rest all lingering hopes of a seat-sharing pact with the Congress in the state. However, despite not allying with the Congress, the TMC continues to be an ally of the grand old party in the INDIA bloc.
Earlier on Sunday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the Trinamool Congress will announce the candidates for all 42 seats in West Bengal for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
"Today, I will bring before you candidates for all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal," West Bengal CM said at the rally at the Brigade Parade Grounds of Kolkata
The Trinamool Congress kicked off the campaign for the upcoming elections through its show of strength.
In the previous Lok Sabha polls, the TMC won 22 seats while the BJP sprung a major surprise, winning 18 seats. The Congress won the remaining two seats.
In 2019, the BJP-led National Democratic (NDA) won a total of 303 seats, leaving the grand-old party behind at 52 seats.
The Lok Sabha polls are expected to be held in April-May this year.