Discontent in TMC, BJP as parties field turncoats

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP are politically poles apart but both have become similar in one aspect.

They have given tickets to several turncoats from other parties instead of their own leaders for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The decision has generated severe discontent among the TMC and the BJP workers in the state.

There are 18 new faces in the TMC’s candidate list out of which seven have joined the party from either the Congress or the Left parties.

For example, TMC’s candidates from Cooch Behar, Alpurduar and Burdwan East are all from Left parties.

While the TMC candidate from Cooch Behar, Paresh Adhikari, was earlier with the Forward Bloc. Two other TMC candidates Dasrath Tirkey (Alupurduar) and Sunil Mondal (Burdwan East) were earlier with the RSP and the Forward Bloc respectively.

“The party workers are not happy that those who have worked for the party for decades have been ignored and leaders who have come from other parties are being given tickets,” a senior TMC leader said.

However, a section of the TMC leadership argued that newcomers from other parties have been given tickets to curb faction feuds as with such candidates the opposing factions will not have any option but to work together.

As for the BJP, of the 29 candidates the party has announced so far from West Bengal, six have come from other parties. The latest instance is BJP candidate from Jangipur Lok Sabha seat, Mafuja Khatun, who is a former CPM MLA. Her name was declared on Saturday.

BJP leadership has also given tickets to TMC MLA Arjun Singh, TMC MP Soumitra Khan and expelled TMC MP Anupam Hazra.

Earlier, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh admitted that the party does not have enough candidates to contest all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal and hence leaders who have come from other parties are being fielded.

The discontent over candidate selection in the BJP has reached such a level that state BJP vice president Raj Kamal Pathak resigned after not being offered a party ticket.