Kolkata: The Trinamul Congress has fielded its Rajya Sabha (RS) MP Manas Bhunia’s wife Geetarani Bhuniya as the party’s candidate for the Assembly bypoll at the Sabang constituency in West Midnapore on December 21.

Dr Bhuniya was the Congress MLA of Sabang for a long time before defecting to the Trinamul and becoming its MP in the RS recently.

On Sunday, Trinamul secretary-general Partha Chatterjee announced his wife’s name as the party’s candidate.

“We will start our campaign for the victory in this by-poll. People of Bengal have extended their support in every elections in the leadership of chief minister Mamata Banerjee for her development works. She has undertaken development at Sabang,” he said.

Dr Bhuniya’s brother, Bikash, initially appeared to be a strong contender for getting the ticket.

Although he was rejected, the ruling party has however reposed its faith in the Bhuniya family in making another of its members as a poll candidate despite Ms Bhuniya being not known politically like her husband, according to sources.

Moreover the constituency looks to be a Congress turf as Dr Bhuniya was elected as a Congress MLA amidst sweep by the Trinamul in 2016 Assembly Elections.