BJP’s Priyanka Tibrewal to Challenge Mamata in Bhabanipur? Party May Bet on Advocate for High-Octane Battle

The suspense over who will take on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from the Bhabanipur seat in the upcoming bypoll may end on Thursday as the BJP is likely to announce the name of advocate Priyanka Tibrewal for the high-voltage contest.

Tibrewal, who was the legal adviser of Babul Supriyo, joined the BJP in August 2014 on the singer-turned-BJP leader’s suggestion and is said to be inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In 2015, she contested the Kolkata Municipal Council elections from ward number 58 (Entally) as a BJP candidate but lost to Trinamool Congress’s Swapan Sammadar.

During her over six-year stint in the BJP, she handled several important tasks and in August 2020, she was made the vice president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in West Bengal.

In 2021, she contested the assembly election from Entally but lost to TMC’s Swarna Kamal Saha who defeated her with a margin of 58,257 votes.

Tibrewal was born on July 7, 1981, in Kolkata. She did her schooling from Welland Gouldsmith School and graduated from Delhi University. After that, she pursued a law degree from Hazra Law College, which is under Calcutta University, in 2007. She also did her MBA from Thailand Assumption University.

Speaking to News18, Tibrewal said: “The party has consulted me and asked my opinion on whether I would like to contest from Bhabanipur or not. There are many names and I am not yet aware of who will be the candidate. I would like to thank my senior party leaders for supporting me all these years.”

She added: “If my party fields me from Bhabanipur against Mamata Banerjee, I will give my best and I am hopeful that people will support me in this battle of justice vs injustice… I am sure people will vote against the misrule of ruling TMC. This is our fight against the post-poll violence and suffering of the people in Bengal,” she said.

“I am a messenger of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and I would like to request all the residents of Bhabanipur to vote for BJP because under the leadership of Modi-ji, our country is flourishing and simultaneously Bengal will also shine,” she said, thanking Supriyo for being her guiding force throughout her political career.

She said, “I stood against the post poll violence and filed a couple of court cases. I assisted my BJP workers in returning home in Entally. They vacated their house after assembly poll results out of fear of TMC goons. I would like to tell the TMC to stop bloodbath in Bengal; ‘khooni khela bondho koro’. I would like to request the residents of Bhabanipur to judge whom they want to support… BJP or Mamata Banerjee who is contesting only to retain the chair of the chief minister. Her interest is only to retain power but our battle is against the undemocratic functioning of the state government.”

Reacting to the development, Tapas Roy, deputy chief whip of TMC in the state assembly, said: “It is not a matter of concern for TMC. All I can say is that the BJP candidate will lose his or her security deposits as our leader Mamata Banerjee will emerge as winner with a record margin.” BJP MP Arjun Singh was appointed Observer of Bhabanipur assembly seat.

Congress has decided not to field any candidate against Banerjee, while its ally CPI (M) has decided to prop up advocate Shrijeeb Biswas from Bhabanipur.

The bypoll will be held on September 30 and the counting of votes will be on October 3. The election is important for Banerjee in order to remain CM of the state.

As per Article 164 of the Constitution, a minister who is not an MLA within six months has to resign and therefore it is crucial for Banerjee to win the bypoll.