West Bengal Assembly election 2021, Rahul Sinha profile: BJP's Habra candidate to contest against Jyotipriyo Mullick of TMC

Former state BJP chief Rahul Sinha has been fielded by the saffron party from the Habra constituency in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly polls.

Sinha will take on TMC candidate and state Food Supplies Minister Jyotipriyo Mullick, on 22 April in the sixth of the eight-phased Assembly election.

Earlier in September last year, Sinha had expressed displeasure over his party's treatment of senior leaders. He further claimed that his name was dropped from the party's national committee to make way for TMC leaders who defected to the saffron camp.

In a video message, Sinha on 26 September had said, "I have given my 40 years to the party. The reward I received is that a TMC leader is coming, so I have to leave. My party has rewarded me, and I have nothing to say. Whatever I have to say, I will say it in the next 10 or 12 days."

Before Dilip Ghosh was appointed Bengal BJP president in 2015, Sinha was one of the most prominent leaders of Bengal. Following Ghosh's appointment as Bengal chief, Sinha was appointed national secretary — a post that he held before being removed from the national panel.

In the national committee, while Mukul Roy was appointed as BJP national vice-president, former TMC MP Anupam Hazra was made national secretary.

Hazra after replacing Sinha said, "He may have felt hurt and I will talk to him at earliest. There are ups and downs in one's life. I am sure he will understand."

Sinha holds a B.Com degree and graduated from Netaji Nagar College under Calcutta University in 1982.

The Habra Assembly constituency lies in the North 24 Parganas district. It is a part of the Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency.

The voting will begin on 27 March, with Bengal having the maximum eight phases continuing till 29 April. Including Habra, 42 Assembly seats will go to polls in the sixth phase. The results of the election will be declared on 2 May.

The state is held by the AITC with an absolute majority, with Mamata Banerjee on her second consecutive term as chief minister. The ruling party is fighting a pitched battle with archrival BJP, while the Congress-led alliance is also a key player in the fray.