BJP's Bally candidate faces 'Get Out' & 'Outsider' slogans, 70 party booth presidents resign

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Howrah's Bally assembly constituency has plunged into a deep crisis following the nomination of Sanjay Singh. On Friday evening, long-standing factional tensions boiled over at a party office on Belur Lalmohan Mukherjee Street during an election strategy meeting. Furious party workers stormed the venue, surrounding Singh and chanting "Get Out" and "No Outsider" slogans. The protest reached a breaking point when 70 booth presidents submitted their collective resignations, refusing to campaign for a candidate they do not consider one of their own.

The agitators, led by local BJP leader Indranil Dasgupta, are demanding a "Son of the Soil"—a local candidate who is accessible and understands the specific grievances of the Bally electorate. They argue that imposing an outsider like Sanjay Singh undermines the hard work of grassroots activists. The protesters have formally notified the state leadership of their stance, issuing a stark warning that they will abstain from all election-related activities unless the candidate is replaced with a local face.

Despite the chaotic scenes and heated counter-slogans, candidate Sanjay Singh attempted to downplay the rebellion. He characterized the incident as an internal family matter, suggesting that those with grievances should sit down for a dialogue rather than protesting publicly. However, the sheer scale of the resignations suggests that the rift is much deeper than a simple misunderstanding, threatening to cripple the party's ground-level machinery just as the campaign enters its most critical phase.