Shah to release BJP's manifesto for Bengal polls on Sunday
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will release Bharatiya Janata Party's manifesto for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly Elections in Kolkata on Sunday. The party sources said that after extensive research in every assembly constituency, the manifesto has been finalized. The party workers collected samples of around 2000 and people in maximum cases expressed disgrace over industrialization and job creation. Hence, the saffron party's election manifesto for the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal will emphasize both issues, apart from the stringent policy on infiltration.
Environmentalist-turned-politician Mohit Ray is heading the manifesto committee of the Bengal BJP.
The party is blazing all the guns and putting all possible effort to counter Trinamool Congress' 'Khela Hobe'. However, the BJP's candidate list of a total of 284 members so far has evoked a major quandary and resulted in agitation by the party workers; senior leaders are being heckled by protesters for fielding a high number of former Trinamool leaders as the party's candidates, whom they call 'outsiders'.
Such protest also forced the saffron high command to replace the erstwhile Chief Economic Advisor Ashok Lahiri from Alipurduar, with local strongman Suman Kanjilal. Lahiri himself was taken by surprise by the sudden change just three days after he had been named as the official candidate. The local party leaders said they considered Lahiri an "outsider". However, the economist may still be in "consideration" from a secure seat.
The first phase of the assembly elections is scheduled for March 27, but the party is yet to announce candidates for more than five seats. Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong, Balurghat and Rashbehari are among them.
Two candidates refused to contest also–Shikha Mitra and Tarun Saha. They had been named "without any consultation", they claimed. In many places, BJP workers had also ransacked party offices.
At least 18 dissidents cutting across party lines, six minority candidates, five celebrities and some senior leaders feature amongst the 156 new names that the BJP announced for the fifth to eighth phases on Thursday.
Vaishali Dalmiya (daughter of the late BCCI President, Jagmohan Dalmiya and incumbent MLA for Bally Assembly constituency); Mukul Roy's son and incumbent MLA of Bijpur Subhranshu Roy; Arjun Singh's son, Pawan Singh and incumbent MLA from Bhatpara; former Asansol Mayor Jitendra Tiwari; Col (retd) Diptanshu Chowdhury; the first Mayor of Bidhannagar and incumbent MLA of Rajarhat Sabyasachi Dutta, Rathindranath Chakraborty, are among others.
Most of these candidates are seeking re-election from the constituencies they won in 2016.
Celebrity candidates include actors Shrabanti Chatterjee, Rudranil Ghosh, Parno Mitra, fashion designer and head of party's women's wing, Agnimitra Paul and former footballer, Kalyan Chaubey.
