The process of filing nominations for the upcoming rural elections in the state began in South Dinajpur district on Sunday. A conflict over selection of candidates has come up among political parties in the district and it is very clear that the Bharatiya Janata Party members are perhaps more active than others, political observers have claimed.

The people of South Dinajpur will be casting their ballots for upcoming panchayat elections on 5 May, and the district administration has scheduled an all-party meeting on Sunday.

On the very first working day after declaration of the elections, all the political parties in the district started preparations for their political campaigns, and have also started forming the list of their candidates who would be contesting the polls.

There will be 18 seats up for grabs in the Zilla Parisad, 187 seats in the eight Panchayat Samities and 972 seats in the 64 Gram Panchayats in the district, where the total number of seats is 1177.

A BJP candidate from Karanji under the Kushmandi panchayat samity filed his nomination on Sunday, while party leaders from the Harsura Gram panchayat under the Tapan Block kicked off a door-to-door campaign.

Trinamul Congress leader and MLA from Tapan, Bachhu Hansda, has started his party’s campaign from his constituency. The Left Front, on the other hand, is still silent in the rural areas here, it is learnt.

Meanwhile, villagers of Azmatpur under Tapan Block staged a demonstration against the decision of the TMC to nominate former Pradhan, Runa Lyla, again for the same post from same village.

The decision was criticised by local TMC supporters on Sunday. Booth president of the party in Azmatpur, Md Bashir Miya said, “Runa Lyla and her husband are accused of engaging in illegal activities in the area. Her husband has been punished and sent to jail.

Both of them are well-known as defaulters. District leaders should change the candidate.” The district President of the BJP, Subhendu Sarkar, meanwhile said that his list of candidates for the 1177 seats has been made and he has already sent it to the state committee. He also assured that he will be submitting the nomination for every seat as early as possible.

“TMC is a big party. There may be minor conflicts among us. The final list of candidates has not been published yet. Local leaders will take a decision. I hope that the TMC will select the people’s candidates for every seat. Our leaders and workers are doing their best in the grassroots level,” said the district President of the TMC, Bipllab Mitra.