BJP faces protests over candidate selection, dissent spreads across parties

Dissent over candidate selection erupted within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal on Friday, as party workers staged protests outside the state headquarters in Salt Lake against the nomination of Partha Choudhury from Beliaghata Assembly constituency.

A section of BJP workers gathered outside the party office, raising slogans and staging a sit-in demonstration, alleging that the chosen candidate did not reflect their preferences. The protest intensified soon after the announcement of the party’s candidate list, with disgruntled workers voicing their dissatisfaction openly. State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya and party leader Locket Chatterjee stepped out of the office to engage with the agitating workers and attempted to pacify them.

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However, protesters continued to vent their anger in front of the leaders, demanding a change of candidate. Bhattacharya maintained that the party’s decision on nominations is final. Downplaying the unrest, Chatterjee said internal differences were not unusual. “We are a family. Differences of opinion may exist, but the issues will be resolved,” she said. Among the protesters was Biswajit Sarkar, brother of Abhijit Sarkar, who was killed in alleged post-poll violence in 2021. He questioned the choice of candidate, claiming it could weaken the party’s fight against the ruling Trinamul Congress (TMC). Similar scenes were reported from Malda’s Baishnabnagar, where BJP workers burnt tyres and demonstrated against the candidature of Raju Karmakar, branding him an “outsider” and rejecting his nomination.

Protests also erupted at the Hooghly BJP district office. The workers were demanding a change in the party’s candidate for the Balagarh constituency. Inside the office, the workers hurled chairs and then sat down on the floor to protest.

The BJP has nominated Sumana Sarkar as its candidate for Balagarh.

Sumana Sarkar previously served as the Vice-President of the Hooghly zilla parishad representing the Trinamul Congress.

The BJP workers alleged, over the past few years, she was not seen actively participating in party activities in Balagarh, yet was selected as the candidate.

The unrest was not confined to the BJP alone. The ruling Trinamul Congress is also facing resistance over candidate selection. In Basirhat North, party workers have opposed the candidature of Tausifur Rahman, demanding the nomination of local leader Abu Taher Mohammad Abdullah, also known as Roni. Posters rejecting an “outsider candidate” have surfaced in the constituency.