Setback for BJP as 50 leaders and workers quit party

Kolkata: In a major setback to the BJP, as many as 50 leaders and party activists have quit the saffron brigade in East Midnapore’s Nandigram. It gives a major worry to the state BJP leaders as a major erosion occurred in the organisation despite Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari being an MLA from Nandigram.

It was learnt that these party activists who have quit the BJP had complained about corruption in a BJP-run Panchayat. As the party leaders did not take any action to curb the corruption, these party workers have expressed their resentment over alleged corruption and eventually quit the party. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on a number of occasions accused the BJP of unleashing violence in Nandigram. It is significant that the Trinamool Congress has recently secured a spectacular win in two cooperative agriculture society elections in East Midnapore. The ruling party won all the 12 seats at a cooperative agriculture society election in Egra. It is also significant because the local gram panchayat belongs to the BJP. The Trinamool Congress has also secured a thumping victory in another cooperative agriculture society election in Bhagwanpur block I. Out of 12 seats here, the ruling party in the state managed to get 9 seats. In the remaining 3 seats, the candidates belong to ‘opposition alliance’.

On December 12, TMC won a cooperative election in East Midnapore’s Mahishadal. Out of 42 seats in the ‘Kalikakunda Bakshichowk Samabay Simiti’ election, BJP managed to field its candidate in only 3 seats while in remaining 39 seats they failed to give a candidate. The BJP has seen a debacle in the recently concluded Kanthi cooperative bank election. The ruling TMC swept the Kanthi cooperative bank election on December 15, winning 101 of the total 108 seats.