Bengal elections | BJP lists 111 faces more, includes star power, former Union minister

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday (March 19) released its second list of 111 candidates for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, balancing old guards with new entrants, a pattern seen since Samik Bhattacharya took over as the saffron party’s state president last year.

Among the notable inclusions from among old guards is Ritesh Tiwari, who has been fielded from Kashipur-Belgachia in the Kolkata district. His candidature is significant as he was sidelined by the previous state leadership and suspended in January 2022 for indiscipline.

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The emphasis on old guards was also evident in the first list, which was unveiled on Monday (March 16), a day after the election schedule was unveiled by the Election Commission. The party's former state president Dilip Ghosh was fielded from a seat of his choice, unlike in the last Lok Sabha elections when he had openly expressed displeasure over the constituency allotted to him.

Roopa Ganguly in fray

At the same time, the party has continued to mainstream prominent leaders. Actor-turned-politician Roopa Ganguly, widely known for her portrayal of Draupadi in the 1980s' television series 'Mahabharat', has been nominated from Sonarpur Dakshin in South 24 Parganas district, adjacent to Kolkata, where she will take on the ruling Trinamool Congress's Lovely Maitra, also an actor-turned-politician like her.

For Roopa, who is also a former Rajya Sabha MP, it will be the second time she will be contesting an election in Bengal. She contested in the 2016 battle from the Howrah Uttar (North) seat but finished third.

A couple of other names from the glamour world have also been picked, including Hiran Chatterjee from the Shyampur seat in Howrah district, and Papiya Adhikari, who will contest from the Tollygunj constituency in South 24 Parganas district.

Saffron party accommodates ex-TMC faces

Parallel to this, the BJP has accommodated several leaders who crossed over from the TMC in recent years, highlighting its continued reliance on turncoats to strengthen its local base.

Arjun Singh, a former MP, has been fielded from Noapara in North 24 Parganas, while Dibyendu Adhikari, brother of state Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari, will contest from Egra in Purba Medinipur (East Midnapore) district and lawyer. Former Congress leader Kaustav Bagchi has been fielded from Barrackpore, also in North 24 Parganas. Similarly, the party fielded former TMC minister Tapas Roy from Maniktala in Kolkata.

Their inclusion reflects the BJP’s strategy of leveraging defectors with established regional influence, even as it tries to consolidate its core leadership.

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One of the few surprises in the list is the nomination of retired IPS officer Rajesh Kumar from Jagaddal in North 24 Parganas, an industrial belt constituency.

Kumar, a 1990-batch officer, had earlier moved the Supreme Court over his non-appointment as the state’s director general of police despite seniority.

His candidature stands out in an otherwise predictable list dominated by political heavyweights and organisational loyalists.

Rekha Patra picked again

The party has also reiterated its focus on politically sensitive constituencies such as Sandeshkhali (North 24 Parganas district), which made the headlines for the wrong reasons. While Sanat Sardar has been fielded from the seat, Rekha Patra, one of the prominent faces of the agitation against alleged atrocities linked to Sheikh Shahjahan, has been nominated from Hingalganj, also in North 24 Parganas district.

Despite Patra’s defeat in the Lok Sabha elections two years ago, the BJP’s decision to renominate her aligns with the party’s strategy of making alleged concerns over women’s safety in the state a key poll issue.

The party is also considering fielding the mother of the victim in the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder case from Panihati in North 24 Parganas, a seat for which it has yet to announce a candidate, with the victim’s mother having expressed willingness to contest on a BJP ticket.

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Elsewhere, the party has largely backed incumbents and familiar faces in key pockets. In the Matua-dominated belt, sitting MLAs Ashok Kirtania, Swapan Majumdar, and Subrata Thakur have been renominated from Bangaon Uttar, Bangaon Dakshin and Gaighata, respectively. All three are in North 24 Parganas district.

Former Union minister to contest

The list also includes former Union minister Nisith Pramanik from Mathabhanga in Cooch Behar district in nirth Bengal and senior leader Priyanka Tibrewal from Entally, who challenged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Bhabanipur by-election in 2021 after the latter lost in Nandigram.

There are also organisational leaders and professionals such as BJP youth wing state president Indranil Khan from Behala Paschim (West) in Kolkata, doctor Shardwata Mukhopadhyay from Bidhannagar (North 24 Parganas district), and lawyer Tarunjyoti Tiwari from Rajarhat Gopalpur (North 24 Parganas district). Long-time councillor Bijoy Ojha has been fielded from Jorasanko (Kolkata).

With the second list, the BJP has now announced candidates for 255 of the 294 seats, leaving 39 yet to be declared.

The party also made one change to its first list, replacing Agnishwar Naskar with Biswajit Kha in Bishnupur.

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Significantly, the party today also announced to support the candidature of Biswajit Mahato from Joypur assembly constituency in Purulia district. Biswajit is the son of the prominent leader of the Adivasi Kudmi Samaj, Ajit Mahato.

The Samaj is spearheading the community's fight for Scheduled Tribe status in Bengal. It recently called for “no vote to TMC.”

The polls will be held in two phases on April 23 and 29, marking the first time in three decades that West Bengal will vote in just two phases, compared with eight in 2021. Results are scheduled for May 4.