The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded ‘Rajmata’ (Queen Mother) Amrita Roy from the Krishnanagar seat in West Bengal to take on Trinamool Congress leader (TMC) Mahua Moitra. Roy’s name was mentioned in the BJP’s fifth list of 111 candidates released on Sunday.
Moitra’s challenger was announced days after she took a swipe at the saffron party for not naming its Krishnangar candidate – the seat that has been TMC’s stronghold since 2009.
Moitra, who was expelled from the Lok Sabha for “unethical conduct” last year, won the Krishnanagar seat in the 2019 Lok Saha election after Mamata Banerjee denied a ticket to Tapas Paul.
Who is Amrita Roy?
- Amrita Roy belongs to the royal family of Krishnanagar and is the ‘Rajmata of the Rajbari’ (Queen Mother of the royal palace) of the constituency.
- She was named as a BJP candidate for the Lok Sabha election days after rumours were rife that the saffron party may field a member of the royal Maharaja Krishnachandra’s family against Moitra.
- Roy formally joined the BJP on March 20 this year in the presence of the West Bengal leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari.
- According to a media report, the district leadership first showed interest in nominating Roy as a Lok Sabha candidate. Notably, a candidate from the royal palace of Krishnanagar connects Maharaja Krishna Chandra Roy’s name directly with politics – whose legacy is known and celebrated even today in the state.
- After the announcement of her candidature, Roy told Anandabazar Online, “Everyone knows about the contributions of King Krishnachandra to the history of Nadia. The role of the Krishnanagar royal family in the inclusion of India is still remembered by all…I have come to the electoral field not as a royal daughter-in-law but to be the voice of the ordinary people. I hope people will bless me with both hands raised.”
The BJP named 19 Lok Sabha candidates from West Bengal in its fifth list, taking the total number of nominees from the state to 38 so far. Notably, the state sends 42 MPs to the Lok Sabha.
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