Rift between old-timers and new entrants reason behind concern for Bengal BJP forward of polls

With Assembly polls simply three weeks away, the BJP, amid an all-out effort to oust Mamata Banerjee from energy in Bengal, can be struggling to maintain its home so as, as old-timers and new entrants interact in feud over a number of points, together with ticket distribution.
The saffron occasion, which had witnessed unprecedented development when it comes to vote share and mass base over the previous couple of years, left its doorways extensive open for leaders from different events, as a part of its ballot technique, however that didn’t go down nicely with many senior leaders, who had as soon as locked horns with the newbies from rival camps, sources within the BJP stated.
According to a senior BJP chief, the technique had initially reaped dividends for the saffron camp, which labelled the TMC as a “sinking ship”, however it will definitely led to infighting inside the organisation and diluted the occasion’s “fight against corruption”, as a number of new entrants had been discovered to have graft expenses in opposition to them.
The occasion lately did a course correction, and stopped the mass induction, however the injury by then was finished, with the management now having to face the “herculean task” of figuring out appropriate candidates from 8,000 aspirants for the state’s 294 constituencies, the senior chief stated.
“We never thought that induction of leaders from other parties could lead to such a situation. Every day we hear reports of infighting between the old-timers and newcomers. We apprehend that post announcement of names (of contenders), discontentment within the camp will grow further,” the BJP chief famous.

State BJP chief Dilip Ghosh, nonetheless, insisted that increasing the occasion’s base was obligatory at this juncture.
“The BJP is a big family. When your family grows, such incidents do take place. If we don’t take people from other outfits, how will we grow? That said, everyone has to abide by the rules and regulations of the party. No one is above the party,” Ghosh stated.
Elections in Bengal, poised to be a stiff contest between the TMC and the BJP, will probably be held in eight phases, starting with polling for 30 seats on March 27. Votes will probably be counted on May 2.
According to the saffron camp sources, many state leaders and the RSS — the BJP’s ideological dad or mum – have aired their displeasure over induction of sure leaders from different events.
Thousands of activists from rival events joined the saffron camp in the previous couple of months in the course of the ‘jogdan mela’ (becoming a member of programme) in varied districts of the state.
As many as 28 MLAs, together with 19 from the TMC, and a sitting MP of the ruling camp have converted to the BJP over the previous few months. Prominent amongst them are heavyweight politicians and former TMC leaders Suvendu Adhikari and Rajib Banerjee, Sovan Chatterjee and Jitendra Tiwari.
Discontentment within the saffron camp, which had been brewing for some time, first surfaced in September final 12 months, when veteran chief Rahul Sinha was changed by Anupam Hazra, a former TMC MP, as nationwide secretary.
Sinha overtly spoke in regards to the “injustice meted out to him to make space for leaders from the TMC”.
Union Minister Babul Supriyo and different BJP leaders, together with state normal secretary Sayantan Basu and state Mahila Morcha chief Agnimitra Paul, had in December opposed Tiwari’s induction into the occasion.
The state BJP management had then issued show-cause notices to Basu and Paul for talking on the problem in public. Tiwari was taken into the saffron fold earlier this week.
Several BJP old-timers throughout the state had objected to the induction of former state minister Syamaprasad Mukherjee, ex-TMC MP Dasharath Tirkey, and rival camp leaders Sukra Munda and Mihir Goswami.
In sure pockets, BJP supporters have additionally provide you with posters, which said that native leaders would favor backing an Independent candidate to supporting “parachuted leaders from the TMC”.
“Old-timers are worried that new entrants from the TMC would hog all the limelight and the efforts put in by them to strengthen the party would go in vain. They are apprehensive that they might not get due recognition, and tickets could slip out of hand,” one other senior state BJP chief stated.
“In East Midnapore, there are 16 seats. Adhikari may pitch for his loyalists who’ve adopted in his footsteps and joined the BJP. The similar may occur in Howrah, the place Rajib Banerjee wields appreciable affect.
“If you accommodate them, old-timers will get angry; if you don’t, the loyalists will get infuriated. It’s a precarious situation,” the BJP chief stated.
Political analysts really feel {that a} lack of robust management and over-dependence on central management may put the saffron occasion at a drawback.
“Once the candidate list is out, it will lead to massive infighting. If the BJP fails to control this situation, it will be Achilles heels for the saffron camp,” political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty asserted
Echoing him, one other political pundit, Suman Bhattacharya, stated induction of “tainted leaders” from the TMC has diluted the BJP”s predominant ballot plank – ”struggle in opposition to corruption”.
“The BJP, which had been levelling corruption allegations against TMC leaders, ended up welcoming some of them into the party. This has put a question mark on the BJP’s credibility as an alternative to the TMC,” he added.
The TMC management — on the receiving finish of the exodus — contended that solely “rotten elements” have left the occasion to affix the BJP.
“The saffron camp has turned into a dustbin of the TMC. It is good riddance for us,” TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee stated.
The opposition CPI(M) claimed that the switchovers solely go on to show that the BJP and the TMC are “two sides of the same coin”.

Making mild of the claims, BJP nationwide normal secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya stated the BJP is the most important occasion within the nation, and is aware of nicely the way to sort out such “minor issues”.
“People of Bengal have made up their mind to oust the TMC. These instances (of infighting) are minor hiccups, and we know how to tackle it. It won’t be an issue in the long run,” he stated.