Mamata Banerjee to announce Trinamool Congress' candidate list for Bengal polls today

Banerjee will hold a meeting with her party leaders at her party office in Kalighat at 1 pm and is expected to announce the list an hour later.

The list is likely to comprise candidates from all 294 seats.

As already reported, the Trinamool is set to give importance to youth and women in its candidate list this year, in the backdrop of massive defections.

The Trinamool leaders above the age of 80 will not be given tickets to contest the polls.

As per reports, Trinamool young leaders Debangshu Bhattacharya, Sudip Raha are likely to be given tickets for the polls.

Likely any other elections, a line of Bengali film personalities like Raj Chakraborty, Soham Chakraborty, Saayoni Ghosh and Kanchan Mullick will possibly be the Trinamool candidates.

Trinamool sitting MLAs Samir Chakraborty, Amit Mitra are likely not to contest the polls this year.

Banerjee has already announced that she will be fighting from Nandigram, which is the bastion of her former lieutenant and now Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari. 

All eyes will be on the Nandgram seat as the BJP is likely to pit Adhikari against the Trinamool supremo in the prestige battle.

Banerjee is almost certain not to fight the polls from her present Bhabanipore constituency.  

The BJP, which held its poll meeting in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi last night, is also likely to announce the list of candidates for the first of eight phases of polls, scheduled to be held on Mar 27 and Apr 1.

The saffron brigade is likely to give tickets to various film personalities who have joined the BJP very recently.  

The Left-Congress-Indian Secular Front (ISF)'s United Front is also set to announce their candidates for the first two phases by this week.