BJP workers protest at Salt Lake party office over Beleghata candidate, slogans raised against Locket Chatterjee

Tension erupted at the state BJP headquarters in Salt Lake after a section of party workers and supporters staged a protest demanding a change of candidate for the Beleghata assembly seat. The protest was triggered after the party announced Partha Chowdhury as its candidate for the constituency in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections.

According to sources, BJP workers gathered at the party office on Friday and raised slogans demanding that the candidate be replaced. The situation briefly turned chaotic as protesters surrounded senior BJP leaders present at the office, including Locket Chatterjee. Allegations were also made that Chatterjee scolded and tried to control the agitating workers during the protest.

The BJP has so far announced candidates for 255 seats in two phases. However, dissatisfaction has been brewing among some party workers and local leaders over the selection of candidates in several constituencies. In some areas, leaders have warned that they may resign from the party or contest as independent candidates if their demands for candidate changes are not addressed. Reacting to the development, Trinamool Congress leaders took a dig at the BJP. Trinamool state vice-president Jayaprakash Majumdar said the incident shows that BJP leadership decides candidates from Delhi without understanding local realities. Meanwhile, the ruling party has fielded state secretary Kunal Ghosh as its candidate from Beleghata and has already begun campaigning for the seat.