A new list of 148 candidates released by the BJP on Thursday has a lopsided presence of turncoats, triggering embarrassing disclaimers and questions on how the Prime Minister’s avowed “asol paribartan” can be brought about by a band of floating mercenaries.
The list shovelled more fuel into the fire of discontent among BJP ranks, intensifying protests from Dum Dum in the south to the Dooars in the north.
Among the defectors from Trinamul who made up the highlights of the list were Mukul Roy, Sabyasachi Dutta, Rudranil Ghosh, Deeptangshu Chowdhury, Jitendra Tiwari, Paban Singh, Sunil Singh, Shilbhadra Datta and Arindam Bhattacharya.
The desperate rush to anoint defectors seems to have led to lapses in due diligence and spawned a couple of embarrassments. Two names on the list — Tarun Saha of Trinamul and Sikha Mitra Chowdhury of the Congress — declined the offer and said they were not interested in BJP tickets.
“It’s clear from the list that the party is finding it difficult to field candidates (from within its ranks),” a BJP insider said. “Of the 283 nominees announced so far (for the 294 seats), almost 150 are from Trinamul, CPM and the Congress.”
Prime Minister Modi has been promising “real change” and a “Sonar Bangla” but the list with so many turncoats suggests that if the BJP wins the elections, the next government will have an assorted collection of legislators from different parties bound together only by erstwhile disgruntlement and potential rewards.
The famed election management skills of the BJP also came under stress with the party deciding to replace economist Ashoke Lahiri with local party leader Suman Kanjilal as the candidate in Alipurduar.
Speculation was rife that the replacement was carried out to douse the anger of the rank and file. But BJP sources claimed that Lahiri had been dropped because he was not on the Bengal voter list and there was no time left to rectify this — which in itself served to underscore the cavalier manner in which the list had been drawn up.
Protests by supporters and local leaders against this disproportionate presence of new inductees have bedevilled the BJP since it started announcing candidates this month, with party offices vandalised and even senior leaders attacked.
Union home minister Amit Shah has held emergency meetings and instructed state leaders to tackle the dissidents firmly. The protests, however, escalated on Thursday amid reports of BJP supporters targeting party offices across the state.
“We have been with the party for years but people who have joined barely a few days ago have been made candidates. The likes of us will have to think if we want to keep supporting the party,” a BJP old-timer said.
Neither Saha nor Mitra Chowdhury, who rebuffed the BJP after being included in Thursday’s list, had formally joined the party.
Saha, who had been nominated from Kashipur-Belgachhia, said no BJP leader had spoken to him and the only overtures had come from a private survey agency hired by the party. He said he had no time for the BJP or its ideology.
“We are a family with a Congress culture.... Why should I contest as a BJP candidate?” Mitra Chowdhury, nominated from Chowringhee, said.
The bloopers served to underline the differences within the BJP, with some leaders asking whether those assigned to talk to Mitra Chowdhury and Saha had been honest.
“The party will investigate what happened and why,” former state BJP president Rahul Sinha said.
BJP workers erupted across north Bengal, which the party claims as its bastion.
In Jalpaiguri, BJP supporters vandalised the district party office and set fire to publicity material, bringing police and fire engines to the spot. Similar demonstrations were seen in Old Malda and Harishchandrapur.
In Sitai, Cooch Behar, senior party leader Bhaben Roy quit the BJP and joined Trinamul.
In south Bengal, BJP workers demonstrated in front of the Durgapur party office demanding the replacement of the Durgapur East and Pandabeshwar nominees — Trinamul turncoats Deeptangshu and Jitendra — with party old-timers.
Scenes of unrest were witnessed in Jagaddal, Nadia South, Ranaghat, Chakdah and several parts of North 24-Parganas.
“After so many rounds of discussion in Calcutta and Delhi, we come up with a list and that triggers such protests across the state,” a BJP veteran said.
“I can’t remember a single party programme that drew so many workers as are now coming to protest at party offices.”
