BJP candidates blame ‘organisational flaws’ in party for LS poll debacle

Kolkata: Right after the BJP faced a setback in Bengal in the Lok Sabha elections, several of its party candidates have begun blaming the party’s ‘organisational flaws’ for their electoral defeat.

The BJP had managed to bag 18 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls but failed to either retain them or increase the seat tally in 2024.

This time, the number of seats was reduced to 12. However, it has become apparent that not all of its candidates have taken it on the chin. Many have come out to blame the party for their electoral defeat. Lately, its candidate from Burdwan-Durgapur Dilip Ghosh has lashed out.

Following Ghosh’s defeat in the seat, BJP’s Burdwan district president Abhijit Tah is learnt to have resigned. A letter is learnt to have gone viral which purportedly is the resignation letter of Tah where he reportedly took the blame on him for BJP’s debacle in the district. BJP’s Burdwan East seat candidate too lost to TMC’s candidate. The letter is also learnt to have caused a flutter among the party workers in that district, many of whom felt that the resignation should have come earlier.

Dilip Ghosh is learnt to have blamed organisational lapses for his defeat. Although he did not squarely put the blame on anyone, he has said that discussions will be held with the Central leadership where things would hopefully become clearer.

Ghosh also took to social media and wrote that as a repercussion of the party’s debacle, no old workers should leave the party. Doesn’t matter if new ones do.

Ghosh said: “Old is gold”. In 2019, it was under Ghosh’s leadership that BJP won 18 seats.

Agnimitra Pal, who replaced Ghosh as the candidate for the Midnapore seat this year, said she will submit a detailed report to the central leadership stating the reasons for the debacle. She said she would highlight the organizational flaws, if any, in the report. She lost to TMC’s June Maliah.

Locket Chatterjee, who lost to TMC’s Rachana Banerjee from the Hooghly seat, said she too will inform the central leadership of what led to her defeat.

She, however, clarified that leaders must learn to listen to the party workers who have a better grasp of the situation on ground.

Meanwhile, BJP’s candidate from Krishnanagar, Amrita Roy, who lost to Trinamool’s Mahua Moitra, is learnt to have squarely put the blame on the party. She said that had she listened to herself than believed in every word of the party leaders she may have had a chance of winning.

When she was asked as to whether she will remain in politics anymore, she said if she does then she will solely listen to herself rather than take the party’s advice.