A couple from Malda filed their nominations as Trinamul candidates for the same zilla parishad seat at the district magistrate's office on Thursday.

Paritosh Sarkar, a local Trinamul leader, turned up at the district collectorate and filed his nomination for seat 43 under Baishnabnagar Assembly constituency, whose MLA happens to be his wife Chandana.

“I have been named by the party candidate for the seat. It would have been better had my wife been chosen as the candidate. But as Thursday was the last day to file nominations, I obeyed my party’s instructions,” he said.

Soon, his wife Chandana reached the venue and filed her nomination for the same seat.

MLA Chandana, a seasoned politician, won the panchayat polls from the seat thrice since 2008 and is the sitting deputy chief of the zilla parishad and district president of Trinamul’s youth wing in Malda. Paritosh is a debutant in fighting elections.

Asked why she violated the party's directive and filed her papers from a seat where her husband is the official Trinamul nominee, Chandana said: "True, my husband got the official nomination. But he has some physical ailments and can't take the stress of working as an elected representative at the zilla parishad. That's why I filed the nomination. We have no problems among ourselves.”

Trinamul insiders said Chandana’s name was dropped as a candidate because of the party’s “one man, one post” policy.

“She already holds three posts. That is why her husband was selected for the zilla parishad seat,” said a party functionary.

But Chandana’s move on Thursday left the district Trinamul leadership disgruntled, said sources. "She should have respected the party’s decision,” a senior leader said.

Subhamay Bose, a vice-president of the party in Malda district, however, tried to downplay the issue.

“The party will allot the symbol to only one of them and the other has to withdraw candidature. We don't consider it a serious issue,” he said.