Sovan, Baishakhi sever ties with BJP

Kolkata: Following resentment over filing of candidates, the party's Kolkata Zone observer Sovan Chatterjee and co-convenor of the zone Baishakhi Bandyopadhyay have severed all ties with the BJP.

According to the sources, Chatterjee and Bandyopadhyay have quit the party after the former was denied ticket from Behala East Assembly Constituency.

The party on Sunday announced the name of actor Payal Sarkar as candidate from the constituency.

Sources said that both Chatterjee and Bandyopadhyay wrote separate letters to the state BJP President Dilip Ghosh on Sunday evening. It is learnt that Chatterhee has stated that he received a call from the party's leader Shiv Prakash informing him that he will be contesting from Behala West Assembly constituency and Bandyopadhyay will not be receiving any ticket.

He further stated in the letter that he never before felt "humiliated and pained to accent the party's decision as being a public representative for 36 years" when he contributed to the development of the area as a Mayor and a minister. "But the party's decision not to give me nomination from Behala East is a moral defeat for me and I have never compromised with my principles...In view of the above situation, I am hereby tendering my resignation from all posts given by your party and also dissociate myself from your party with immediate effect," he mentioned in the letter.

It may be mentioned that Chatterjee and Bandyopadhyay joined BJP together on August 14 in 2019.

Trinamool Congress had fielded Ratna Chatterjee as its candidate from Behala East Assembly constituency.