By Nirmalya Mukherjee
Confusion reigned over BJP’s first road show in Kolkata, with Sovan Chatterjee, the former city mayor and TMC leader and his accomplice Baisakhi Banerjee unwilling to participate and staying away from the show. Without them the show became a virtual damp squib.
Sovan had defected to BJP and has been rehabilitated with the plum responsibility of Kolkata in the upcoming Corporation and Assembly polls in 2021.
Initially the party was refused police permission for the show but later managed to get a verbal nod .
BJP has bestowed responsibility of managing nine Kolkata assembly seats to Sovan and party MP from Barrackpore Arjun Singh for the 2021 state elections.
Sovan’s accomplice and a member of BJP’s two hundred odd state committee for election Baisakhi Banerjee did not participate in the show and housed herself in residence.
Baisakhi complained she was not invited to the show.
Baisakhi a green-horn in politics has just been included in the BJP after Sovan defected from TMC. Usually invitations are not given to leaders for public rallies and road shows. They join on their own as party workers.
Mukul Roy, Kailash Vijavargiya and Arjun Singh joined the rally. None had invited them.
With Baisakhi and Sovan refusing participation in the Kolkata road show, discussions have started within the party whether such a view can be judged as ‘anti-party’ or could there be other intentions.
BJP leaders failed to mobilise Baisakhi and Sovan even after long hours of discussion. Sources said, as Baisakhi is unwell Sovan had decided to skip the rally.
There are 63 assembly seats in Kolkata, South 24 Pargana and North 24 Parganas. BJP had managed to take lead in only 5 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. BJP lost both Lok Sabha seats in Kolkata. These three districts and seats are BJP’s main target in the 2021 assembly polls.
Kolkata is considered a TMC fort with the party winning more than 120 of the 144 wards of Kolkata in last Corporation elections 2015.
Disclaimer
This news article is prepared or accomplished by Nirmalya Mukherjee in his personal capacity. The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of kolkatatoday.com
Bengali