Kolkata: It is something that the BJP leadership, both national and in West Bengal never expected. BJP workers from various parts of West Bengal continued their protests Tuesday outside the party’s state election office here. They were demonstrating against the selection of candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls,. They laid bare the rift between old-timers and new entrants. The BJP’s main election office in this city is located in Hastings locality.
BJP supporters from Canning West, Magrahat, Kultali, Joynagar and Bishnupur were protesting since Tuesday morning. There were groups in support of the chosen ones, and those who were against. The two groups got involved in scuffles on a number of occasions, forcing police to intervene.
“We want immediate withdrawal Arnab Roy’s candidature from the Canning West seat. He joined BJP from the Trinamool Congress only five days back. Now he has been given the nomination,” a BJP activist from the constituency said. The protesters claimed that TMC leaders involved in corruption have been given nominations by the BJP.
Some of those leaders are also accused of atrocities against BJP members in the past, they informed. “We will sit idle and not work for the party’s election campaign if the candidates are not withdrawn immediately,” said Ronny Manna, a long-time BJP worker from Magrahat.
A section of the protesters tried to remove the barricades outside the main gate and enter the office compound. However, police prevented them from doing so.
The protests outside the BJP’s election office and different parts of West Bengal have been underway since Sunday evening. It started after the announcement of the party’s second list of 63 candidates for the third and fourth phase of elections in West Bengal.
The protests over the selection of candidates took violent turns in certain places. BJP supporters were seen vandalising party offices and locking up central leaders, besides blocking roads by burning tyres.
The BJP said that they were looking into the issues. It maintained that the protests were a result of the party growing in size.
“The party is growing in size as more and more people join. Hence, the number of aspirants has swelled. There are bound to be some problems, but that will be addressed soon,” BJP’s state general secretary Sayantan Basu said.