CPI(M) retains Asansol Lok Sabha seat

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Tuesday retained the Asansol Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal with an improved victory margin when its candidate and party's youth leader Bangshagopal Chowdhury defeated his nearest rival Moloy Ghatak of Trinamool Congress by 2,29,941 votes.

The by-election to the seat was held on September 28 and the counting of ballots was taken up on Tuesday. Chaudhury, who was West Bengal's Minister for Cottage and Small Scale Industries but resigned from the ministry before filing his nomination, got 4,10,740 votes while Ghatak, a Trinamool Congress legislator, secured 1,80,799 votes.

Prabhat Goswami of Congress cut a sorry figure as he received 52,570 votes in a five-cornered contest. The winner, Chaudhury, is a legislator from Raniganj, which falls under Asansol Lok Sabha constituency.

The by-election was necessitated due to death of sitting CPI (M) member Bikash Chowdhury. Bangshagopal Chowdhury improved upon the victory margin of his late party colleague in the by-poll as compared to the 1,23,546 vote margin recorded in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls.