West Bengal polls: BJP faces stiff opposition over choice of candidates

Altercations over candidate selection affect the party's last-mile connectivity in West Bengal, writes Radhika Ramaseshan

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According to a political observer, the outcry over some nominations in the BJP can't be “ignored” and the party's “Chanakyas” have mismanaged the exercise | Photo: PTI

Radhika Ramaseshan New Delhi

5 min read Last Updated : Mar 28 2021 | 7:58 PM IST

Economist and psephologist Ashok Lahiri possibly got his first taste of realpolitik after he was dropped as a candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the West Bengal Assembly elections from Alipurduar under duress. Lahiri was moved to Balurghat. Suman Kanjilal, the BJP’s Alipurduar district secretary, wrested the nomination after leading protests against Lahiri.

The fracas over Lahiri’s candidacy was not an exception. The BJP faced stiff opposition over its choice of candidates in many places, casting doubts over the leadership’s decision to induct defectors from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), in

Topics : Mamata Banerjee West Bengal Assembly polls West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party All India Trinamool Congress Communist Party of India (Marxist) Suvendu Adhikari Kailash Vijayavargiya