BJP faces rebellion in Gazole; Ex-candidate files as Independent

Malda: Signs of internal discord within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have surfaced in the Gazole Assembly Constituency after former party candidate Prafulla Chandra Sarkar filed his nomination as an independent candidate for the upcoming election.

Sarkar, who had contested the 2011 Assembly elections on a BJP ticket and secured 8,514 votes, submitted his nomination papers at the Sub-Divisional Officer’s office on Monday. He was accompanied by several disgruntled BJP leaders and workers, highlighting growing dissatisfaction within the party’s local unit.

Speaking to reporters after filing his nomination, Sarkar launched a sharp attack on the party’s current leadership in the constituency. “Around 75 per cent of BJP workers in Gazole are unhappy with the arrogant attitude and functioning of the sitting MLA. This is not the party we once worked for. I have filed my nomination as an independent candidate and we will defeat him this time,” he said.

The sitting MLA and BJP candidate, Chinmoy Deb Barman, has reportedly been facing resentment from a section of party workers over his performance in the past five years.

The discontent had earlier led to the formation of a dissenting platform named after Syama Prasad Mukherjee, where rebel leaders openly demanded a change in candidate. However, the party leadership chose to renominate Barman, further intensifying internal divisions.

Reacting to Sarkar’s move, BJP Gazole convenor Bina Kirtania downplayed the rebellion. “There is no ‘old BJP’ or ‘new BJP’. The party is one big family, and we work together. Prafulla has taken this step to fulfil his personal interests. If he contests as an independent, there is little we can

do,” she said.

Meanwhile, the opposition All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) seized the opportunity to target the BJP. Gazole candidate Prasenjit Das remarked, “The independent candidate is right — the BJP has no clear ideology. Their internal conflict shows their weakness. We are receiving a strong response from the public, and we are confident of winning Gazole.”

The episode underscores growing factionalism within the BJP at the grassroots level, potentially weakening its electoral prospects in the Constituency.