BJP candidates’ names have been finalized in a way that lowest level workers aren’t upset with ‘interference’ of ‘big’ leaders.
New Delhi: Learning lessons from the infighting that erupted among the Trinamool Congress workers following the declaration of candidates for 108 municipalities elections across West Bengal, the BJP state unit declared its approximately 2,000 candidates through the district unit offices, though the names of these candidates were vetted and finalized by the state unit at Kolkata to ensure “optimal” candidates are selected.
This was done so that the lowest level workers are not upset over what may have appeared as the “interference” of “big” Central and state leaders even to select candidates for councillor elections. One of the reasons attributed to the BJP’s loss in the April 2021 Assembly polls was its inability to involve local leaders and take their wishes into account while deciding candidates.
Close to 95 lakh voters across 20 districts will vote on 27 February to elect councillors across 108 municipalities in the state. The result will be declared on 8 March.
Local district level leaders based in some of these 20 districts that are going to poll, told The Sunday Guardian that the party office in Kolkata had asked them to send a list of potential candidates and workers so that they can be gauged for winnability factor. “This was done with every district. District heads and influential leaders were asked to submit the candidates’ list with the party office in Kolkata for shortlisting. After that, the respective district presidents were sent the names of the candidates who were shortlisted for the party ticket so that they can notify the candidate and the media at the district level. This way, differences that erupted post the declaration of successful candidates were sorted at the district level, at the “same” purported level where the names were finalized and the differences did not flare up as we are witnessing in the case of TMC list,” a BJP district president of one of the district going to poll said.
The TMC’s list was declared by party general secretary Partha Chatterjee from Kolkata on 4 February following which reports of infighting among the TMC cadre has emerged from different places. A former TMC municipal chairman, who was denied the ticket this time and is now contesting the election as an independent candidate, in his speech, has been criticizing the top TMC leaders for “selling” party tickets from Kolkata.