Jadavpur University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra will contest from Behala East constituency. (File Photo)
The Jadavpur University professor who had been jailed for emailing cartoons lampooning Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has decided to contest to West Bengal assembly election as an independent candidate.
Ambikesh Mahapatra will contest from the Behala East seat in Kolkata. His Trinamool opponent is Kolkata's Mayor Sovan Chatterjee. Neither the Left nor the Congress has a fielded a candidate there yet.
Professor Mahapatra is a member of a platform called 'Aakranta Aamaraa' or 'we the attacked'; a group of people who say they have suffered at the hands of the Mamata Banerjee government.
Another member of this group Mrs Pratima Dutta is also contesting the polls as an independent from Domjur constituency in Howrah.
"Many people have suffered at the hands of this government. Democracy has suffered. We want to fight as the people's representatives and dislodge this government," Professor Mahapatra said at a press conference in Kolkata on Saturday.
Among others present at the press conference was the father of the late Barun Biswas of Sutia, who was shot dead in July 2012 allegedly by henchmen of a gang of criminals jailed for several gang-rapes after protests headed by Mr Biswas. "I have not yet decided whether to fight the elections," Jagadish Biswas said. "But I may for justice for my son and the people."
Retired Supreme Court judge Ashok Ganguly, also present at the press meet, is associated with this group but not a member. He ran into trouble with Mamata Banerjee when he was the chief of the State Human Rights Commission. He has been requested by many to contest but he has so far said no.
"I am not in the electoral battlefield. But I am in the people's fight to restore democracy that the ruling party in Bengal has snatched away," Justice Ganguly said.
While Mr Mahapatra was arrested and jailed for forwarding via email cartoons mocking Mamta Banerjee back in April 2012, Pratima Gupta's husband Tapan Dutta, a Trinamool leader in Bali in Howrah, was murdered in May 2011 allegedly by people in the ruling party.
The platform claims Mamata Banerjee's government has destroyed democracy in Bengal. To ensure anti-Trinamool votes do not get divided, Mr Mahapatra and Ms Dutt have said they will step aside if the Left or Congress fields candidates in the seats they are contesting. So far neither of the opposition parties has named candidates for the two seats.