Jalpaiguri/Alipurduar: Dissatisfaction over candidate selection continues to intensify within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with protests and incidents of vandalism reported from multiple constituencies across North Bengal, putting the party in a challenging position ahead of the Assembly elections.
In Jalpaiguri district’s Maynaguri Assembly Constituency, strong resentment has emerged after sitting MLA Kaushik Roy was renominated. On Friday, aggrieved party workers locked BJP district president Shyamal Roy, along with other district leaders, inside the party office and staged demonstrations outside.
Krishna Das, president of Jalpaiguri Mandal No. 2, said: “No party worker supports Kaushik Roy. Since winning the last Assembly election, he has remained largely inactive. We demand that the candidate be changed within 24 hours.”
Shyamal Roy stated that he had spoken to the agitating workers and conveyed their concerns to the state leadership. The candidate, however, has not responded to the controversy. Tensions also flared in Malbazar after Shukra Munda was announced as the BJP candidate for the Mal Assembly Constituency. On Thursday evening, party workers gathered at the Mal Town office at Gurjung Jhora More and staged protests under the leadership of Anil Oraon and Pilatus Oraon. The agitation soon turned violent, with protesters vandalising the office, damaging furniture, and setting fire to party flags, banners, and campaign materials.
Anil Oraon said: “Instead of nominating a local candidate, the party has fielded someone from outside the Constituency. This is unacceptable.”
Mal Town Mandal president Nabin Saha later said the matter has been reported to higher authorities, while senior worker Mangal Oraon echoed concerns over the selection of an “outsider” candidate. Candidate Shukra Munda said: “Repeated attempts to contact BJP district leaders have gone unanswered. The matter has been reported to the higher authorities.”
Similar unrest was witnessed in Alipurduar district’s Madarihat Assembly Constituency following the announcement of Laxman Limbu as the BJP candidate. A section of party workers alleged that the nominee has little connection with the area. On Thursday, aggrieved workers vandalised the party office in Madarihat, damaging furniture and locking the premises. Kartik Oraon, General Secretary of the
Alipurduar District ST Morcha, said, “We demand that the candidature be withdrawn and replaced with a local, active worker, failing which a larger movement will be launched.”
On Friday, BJP workers carried out a protest march in Birpara and locked the party office there for an indefinite period.