The death of nine-time legislator and minister Sadhan Pande on Sunday at a Mumbai Hospital has revived the question of his successor to the Assembly seat that has been considered a Pande fief for some time.

On Monday afternoon, Pande’s mortal remains were brought to the state Assembly in the presence of chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

The late minister’s daughter, Shrreya, his long-time associates in both the Congress and later the Trinamul, Saugata Roy, Atin Ghosh and others were present to pay their respects. Later,, he was accorded a state funeral.

Pande had an uninterrupted run in the Assembly from 1985 onwards when he first became an MLA from the Burtolla constituency. In 2021, despite his failing health condition, Pande got the ticket and won by a margin of 20,238 votes.

He was made a minister, and later retained as minister without portfolio, as his health condition worsened. Pande, however, did outlive the man, who was handed over his portfolios, the late Subrata Mukherjee, by three months.

There are at least five claimants for the Manicktala Assembly seat. The first and foremost being Shrreya Pande, a former actor and social worker, the daughter of the late minister. As her father’s condition worsened, Shrreya started taking an active interest in the socio-political activities in her father’s constituency. She has also been attending to her father’s offices in Goabagan and Kakurgachhi. Trinamul insiders said she has also been seen at the Camac Street office of the reinstated all-India general secretary of the party, Abhishek Banerjee.

“It will be difficult for Mamatadi to ignore Sadhanda’s daughter's claim for the seat. There is no doubt that he was a popular figure in the constituency or else he wouldn’t have won from Manicktala for three straight terms. Sadhanda never lost an election,” said a Trinamul source.

The most high profile claimant for the seat is former Union minister from BJP Babul Supriyo, who has been cooling his heels since he defected to the Trinamul last September. There was a buzz that Mamata had promised the singer-turned-politician the urban development department (he was a junior minister in the urban development ministry in Narendra Modi’s first term).

Since joining the Trinamul, Babul has quit his Lok Sabha seat from Asansol and his political future in the party is uncertain. The possibility of his being fielded again from Asansol for the Lok Sabha seat on a Trinamul ticket cannot be ruled out. Whatever her plans regarding Supriyo, the Trinamul chief has not revealed them yet.

Another claimant is journalist-turned-politician Kunal Ghosh, who has also been a former Rajya Sabha MP and is a local boy. Since his reinstatement, Kunal has been active as a spokesperson and seen at the forefront on most issues.

Two other claimants are Shantiranjan Kundu, the North Calcutta district youth wing chief, who also controls the auto-rickshaw union around the Ultadanga area and lawyer Anindya Rout.

“This one seat has to be decided quickly because there is a vacancy in the cabinet as well. Many of the ministers are saddled with multiple departments. Mamatadi will need an experienced hand,” said a Trinamul source.