BJP fields Netaji's grandnephew against Mamata Banerjee

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday declared Chandra Kumar Bose, grandnephew of Subhash Chandra Bose, its candidate against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhawanipur constituency in the upcoming assembly elections.

"Chandra Kumar Bose will be the BJP's candidate against Mamata Banerjee," Union Minister Smriti Irani told a press conference in New Delhi.

BJP is trying hard to make its presence felt in the state where it had drawn a blank in the assembly polls and the party believes that a high-pitched battle against the Trinamool Congress chief could be of help.

Bose said the change for which people had voted TMC to power in 2011 had not come and only BJP was capable of bringing it.

Asked about his chances, Bose said it was not about him, but about the people of West Bengal.

Elections in West Bengal, which has 294 seats, will be held in six phases, on April 4 and 11 (under Phase-I), 17, 21, 25, 30 and May 5. The two-stage first phase in West Bengal covers Left-Wing Extremism-affected areas.