By-polls -- Gurudas, widows of TDP and Cong leaders in fray

By-polls -- Gurudas, widows of TDP and Cong leaders in fray
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI, MAY 10: Veteran CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta, wife of slain Andhra Pradesh Minister and former Nagaland Finance Minister T A Nguille were among 54 candidates who filed papers for by-elections in two parliamentary and seven assembly constituencies spread over six states as filing of nominations drew to a close.

Polling is slated for May 26 in all the states barring West Bnegal where it will be held on June 5.

Dasgupta filed his papers for Panskura Lok Sabha seat in Midnapore, West Bengal, where other prominent politicians to join the fray were Subhankar Sarkar (Congress) and Bikram Sarkar (Trinamool Congress).

The seat fell vacant following the death of CPI leader Geeta Mukherjee.

Kumudini Patnaik, wife of former Orissa Finance Minister Ramakrushna Patnaik and a nominee of ruling BJD, is among four hopefuls to join the fray in Aska Lok Sabha seat vacated by Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik following his election to the state assembly.

Umakanta Mishra of Congress is expected to be Kumudini Patnaik's main rival for Aska where CPI, CPI (M) and JD (S) have not put up a candidate, an act for which state Congress chief J B Patnaik thanked those parties.

In Andhra Pradesh, Uma Devi, widow of Panchayat Raj Minister A Madhav Reddy who was killed in a Naxalite attack, filed her nominations as TDP candidate and P Sabitha, wife of Congress leader and MLA P Indra Reddy who died in a road accident, jumped into fray for Bhongir and Chevella assembly constituencies respectively.

Nagaland's 37-Tyui assembly constituency is expected to witness a direct fight between the state's former finance Minister T A Ngullie of Congress and Q Y Kithan, an independent as they are the only ones to have filed their nominations.