TOI Election Diary: Catch all news, views and updates from poll-bound states | India News – Times of India

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has confirmed her candidature from Nandigram seat as she released the list of Trinamool Congress candidates for the upcoming assembly polls for 291 seats.
Three candidates of the Bimal Gurung faction of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), an ally of the TMC, will be contesting from the remaining three seats in Darjeeling.
“I will contest from Nandigram as I stick to my words. From Bhowanipore constituency, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay will be contesting in the upcoming Assembly elections,” Banerjee said while releasing TMC candidate list for the state polls.
Left Front-Congress-ISF alliance announce seats to be contested in first two phases
The Left Front will contest in the largest number of 40 seats in the first two phases, followed by Congress which will fight in 12 seats and ISF in five.
It is yet to be decided which party will contest from Egra, Nandigram and Pingla seats but will be decided amicably soon, Left Front chairman Biman Bose said.
Tamil Nadu
AIADMK releases list of nominees for TN assembly polls

The ruling AIADMK on Friday released its first list of six candidates for the April 6 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu ahead of arch-rival DMK and pending conclusion of seat-sharing with allies, including the BJP.
The party’s star candidates,chief minister K Palaniswami and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam will contest from their respective home constituencies of Edappadi in Salem and Bodinayakanur in Theni districts.
The AIADMK allotted 23 seats to ally PMK days ago, before DMK finalised seat-sharing with Indian Union Muslim League, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi.
The ruling party, however, is yet to conclude the seat- sharing exercise with BJP and others. The IUML and MMK were allotted three and two seats respectively by the DMK and it gave six segments to the VCK.
Will fight for respectable number of seats from DMK: Congress
The Congress has struck a defiant note after seat sharing talks with ally DMK for the April 6 assembly polls apparently did not go well and has said it will ‘fight for a respectable number’ to keep the morale of party workers high.
Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily, who had earlier stated that there was no stalemate in the talks and that differences would be sorted out, said his party was taking a firm stand on the matter.
The DMK, he said, was sure to realise this as there was a need for consolidation of secular forces in Tamil Nadu
Assam
BJP announces 70 candidates for Assam polls

The BJP has released its first list of 70 candidates for the Assam assembly polls and announced that allies Asom Gana Parishad and United People’s Party Liberal will contest on 26 and eight seats respectively.
Party general secretary Arun Singh told a press conference that chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal will contest from the Majuli (ST) reserved constituency and state minister Himanta Biswa Sarma from Jalukbari.
Assam BJP chief Ranjit Dass will contest the polls from Patacharkuchi instead of Sarbhog from where he won in the last elections.
The BJP took away from the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) the Barhampur seat, where two-time chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta has been an MLA since 1991, and fielded Jitu Goswami.
Kerala
UDF to finalise seat-sharing by tomorrow

Congress leader and leader of opposition in Kerala assembly Ramesh Chennithala on Friday said that the seat-sharing agreement between the parties in the United Democratic Front (UDF) will be finalised within a day.
UDF led by Congress comprises of Indian Union Muslim League, Kerala Congress (Joseph), Revolutionary Socialist Party, and a variety of other smaller parties. The front is a part of the United Progressive Alliance at the national level.
Kerala BJP chief clarifies on CM candidate remark
Kerala BJP chief K Surendran has clarified that he had not made any announcement on the party’s chief ministerial candidate for the coming assembly elections in the state and said what he expressed was that the people and party workers wanted E Sreedharan to “lead” them.
He said the BJP’s central leadership alone will decide on the party’s chief ministerial candidate.
His comments came a day after Union Minister V Muraleedharan tweeted that the ‘Metroman’ will be the CM candidate only to retract later saying the party had not made any such announcement.
Surendran also blamed the media in the state for “wrongly interpreting” what he had said and claimed that the CPM and the Congress were jittery after Sreedharan joined the party.
Puducherry
NDA to hold meeting to finalise CM, constituency distribution in Puducherry: BJP

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will hold a meeting in two days to finalize the chief minister and constituency distribution in the forthcoming elections in Pondicherry.
BJP president V Saminathan said that a 12-member committee headed by former minister Namasivayam had been set up to prepare the first phase election report.
The BJP leader said that the NR Congress was also part of the NDA.