BJP’s list leaves many Bengal unit members unhappy

‘The list was finalised without taking the ground situation into consideration’.

 

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has declared the names of 27 candidates from West Bengal in its first list released on the day of Holi, but the list has resulted in much unhappiness among members of the BJP’s West Bengal unit over some candidates and their seats.

Sources in the party said that the list of candidates was finalised without taking the ground situation and feedback into consideration and that poor selection of candidates in some seats was due to factionalism within the party.

A senior BJP functionary from Basirhat told his correspondent: “Fielding Sayantan Basu (general secretary-West Bengal BJP) against Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) Nusrat Jahan from Basirhat is a huge mistake. Basirhat is a Muslim-dominated constituency and a Muslim face would have been much more beneficial for the party. Post the riots in Basirhat, the BJP had made significant inroads into the area. But we don’t understand why he was selected from this seat? Who recommended him for Basirhat?”

Some posters and banners credited to “Basirhat Lok Sabha BJP Workers” appeared in Basirhat and other parts of North 24 Parganas district, terming Basu as an “outsider”. The posters read, “The Basirhat Lok Sabha Kendra does not want an outsider like Sayantan Basu from their area.” The posters are also marked with the BJP’s logo.

Similar posters and banners were also noticed in Bongaon Lok Sabha constituency in the same North 24 Parganas district, where BJP workers seem to be demanding that no outsider should be given a ticket for the Bongaon constituency and if that is done, BJP workers would not vote for the BJP candidate. The candidate for the Bongaon Lok Sabha is yet to be declared by the BJP.

However, the state BJP has blamed the TMC for putting up such posters to demoralise the cadre and create divisions in the party.

BJP’s state general secretary and Lok Sabha candidate from Basirhat, Sayantan Basu told The Sunday Guardian, “These are lies being spread by the TMC; the posters were put up by TMC goons and there is no problem with any BJP candidates in the state. We will complain to the Election Commission over these malicious posters and will lodge an FIR.”

Some BJP leaders have also expressed their unhappiness over the candidature of state Mahila Morcha president, Locket Chatterjee, from Hooghly and former IPS officer Bharati Ghosh from Ghatal.

A BJP leader said: “Locket Chatterjee should have been fielded from Ghatal, Medinipur or Jhargram constituency since she has done some remarkable work there. Hooghly would be a very new place for Chatterjee. Bharati Ghosh is already facing resistance from the local BJP unit there, because she was the IPS officer from Medinipur, with additional charge of Jhargram. She had punished and slapped false cases on BJP workers from Ghatal; now that these BJP leaders have to work under her, it is not going down well with them. Moreover, Deepak Adhikari (Dev), Bengali superstar actor and sitting MP from Ghatal, is a strong (TMC) candidate from there; so unity at this time to win that seat is required.”

Disappointment over the name of Chandra Kumar Bose, BJP’s Kolkata South Lok Sabha seat candidate, was also expressed by many leaders. Chandra Kumar Bose is considered by many to be a weak candidate against TMC’s Mala Roy.He is also not considered as “saffron”.  Even the candidature of Babul Supriyo from Asansol is being critiqued by many BJP workers. Babul Supriyo is the sitting MP from Asansol and is facing anti-incumbency from the same seat. He is to take on TMC’s celebrity candidate and veteran actress Moon Moon Sen this time around.