Bengal BJP struggles to find faces, eyes turncoats to field for polls

Trinamul, the Left and the Congress have listed 144, 114 and 66 names, respectively

Representational image.: File photo

Arkamoy Datta Majumdar   |  TT  |  Calcutta   | 28.11.21: The Bengal BJP, which has not yet announced any name for the Calcutta Municipal Corporation polls, is again banking on Trinamul dissidents ahead of civic polls.

For the Assembly election, the BJP’s top-tier leaders had adopted a similar strategy which largely backfired.

On Saturday, BJP leaders, including Bengal co-minder Amit Malviya, met over the December 19 civic polls. Management committee observer and co-observer Arjun Singh and Raju Banerjee stayed away.

No BJP nominee for the CMC polls was announced, though Trinamul, the Left and the Congress have listed 144, 114 and 66 names, respectively. “We will announce ours in phases,” said a BJP source.

The BJP’s chief spokesperson for the state, Samik Bhattacharya, claimed their list was ready “long back”. He added several Trinamul dissidents were in touch with them but no decision on their candidature had been taken.

An insider in the CMC poll management committee said they were organisationally in worse shape now than before the Assembly polls. “Even if we get names for all 144 wards in the CMC area, where are the cadres to work on the ground?” he said, adding they had to wait for Trinamul turncoats to handle the poll process. ‘

This time, defectors won’t be fielded as BJP nominees, he said. “We will use them to conduct polls. They will be compensated monetarily.”

A similar strategy is being worked for Howrah civic polls as well. However, the idea needs to be vetted by leaders who are overseeing Howrah matters.