Rajya Sabha MP Roopa Ganguly has joined the ever-growing list of Bharatiya Janata Party leaders from West Bengal who are airing their grievances against the party leadership. The actor-turned-politician has not only expressed her support for an Independent candidate contesting the Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls but late on Tuesday evening exited a virtual meeting of the West Bengal unit of the BJP.
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Senior BJP leaders, including national vice-president Dilip Ghosh and State president Sukanta Majumdar, were present at the meeting. Ms. Ganguly is a member of one of the committees set up by the BJP for polls to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
Ms. Ganguly is a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha and has held key party posts such as the head of the BJP women’s wing of West Bengal. She has expressed her displeasure over the candidature for ward number 86 of the city’s civic body.
Former BJP ward coordinator Tista Biswas died in a road accident a few weeks ago. Ms. Ganguly reportedly wanted a ticket for her husband Gaurav Biswas.
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Mr. Biswas has filed nomination papers to contest the Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls from ward number 86 as an Independent candidate. “Today my belief got confirmed that Tista’s death was not a mere accident but a murder. Sorry BJP4 Bengal, I am with Gaurav in my little capacity,” Ms. Ganguly had said on social media.
In another development, the West Bengal BJP suspended Chandrasekhar Basotia, a BJP leader from Kolkata, who had protested against the distribution of tickets for ward coordinators. The party has asked senior West Bengal leaders not to comment on the Roopa Ganguly issue.
For the past few months, the party has been grappling with attacks by senior leader Tathagata Roy. Mr. Roy had repeatedly targeted and blamed a section of BJP leaders for the party’s loss in the 2021 Assembly polls.