The political fervour in West Bengal is at an all-time high as the Assembly elections draw near, with many expecting a tough contest between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP).
While excitement is high, there is palpable anger in both camps as candidate selections triggered protests amid voter roll revisions and anti-incumbency. Like every election, several party leaders and MLAs expressed frustration and disappointment over being sidelined for poll tickets, leading to rebellions that can shape the political atmosphere of the state.
The candidate lists of the TMC and the BJP have set off a wave of rebellion, resignations and protests ahead of the two-phase state elections. Here’s a look at leaders who switched parties and those who openly expressed anger after being denied tickets.
West Bengal Elections: Who Rebelled?
Several party leaders defected in recent months, before the candidate lists were announced.
Leander Peas: The renowned tennis player and Olympic medallist switched from the TMC to the BJP on Tuesday at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi. Peas, who grew up in Kolkata, had joined the TMC in 2021, although he had a limited role in the party.
Pratik Ur Rehman: He resigned from the CPI(M) in February and joined the TMC, accusing the Marxist party of allying with communal forces. The CPI(M) later expelled him from the party for joining the “enemy camp.”
Humayun Kabir: He was suspended from the TMC after sparking a major controversy by inaugurating a mosque modelled on the Babri Masjid in Murshidabad. He later resigned from the TMC and formed his own outpit – the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP).
Bishnu Prasad Sharma: The rebel BJP MLA from Kurseong joined the ruling TMC in February. Sharma had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Darjeeling seat as an Independent candidate.
Santosh Pathak: A four-time Congress councillor in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Pathak joined the BJP in March before the announcement of candidates. He was later chosen as the BJP candidate for Chowrangee.
Arghya Roy Pradhan: The former TMC MLA joined the BJP last week alongside Rajbanshi leader Bangshi Badan Barman, accusing the Mamata Banerjee-led party of being “corrupt”. He represented Tufanganj from 2011 to 2016 and Mekliganj in 2016.
Several Leaders Denied Tickets
The TMC saw a major revolt after as many as 74 MLAs were denied tickets for the upcoming elections. Tapan Chatterjee, the outgoing MLA of Purbasthali Uttar, accused the political consulting firm I-PAC of demanding Rs 20 lakhs from him to be given another chance.
Another TMC leader, Arabul Islam, joined the Indian Secular Front (ISF) after being denied a ticket. Former cricketer Manoj Tiwary also expressed disappointment at being dropped from the TMC candidate list and said he had received an offer from the BJP, although he was yet to decide on his political future. Khageswar Roy, a four-time TMC MLA from Rajganj in Jalpaiguri, resigned as the party’s chairman, alleging that “money power” had influenced the decision.
Things were not-so-smooth for the BJP, as two prominent party leaders – Biswanath Bandyopadhyay and Deepak Kumar Jana – criticised the saffron party and announced their resignations after the candidates were revealed. Angry BJP workers also reportedly staged protests outside the district office in Alipurduar against the selection of Paritosh Das as the party’s candidate.
The internal strife comes amid a bitter contest between the BJP and the TMC as West Bengal heads for a high-stakes Assembly elections on April 23 and 29, and the counting of votes will take place on May 4.
