Nadda seeks report on BJP's debacle in Bengal bypolls

Kolkata, April 18 (IANS) Concerned with the party's dismal performance in the recently-held concluded bypolls for a Lok Sabha and an Assembly constituency in West Bengal, BJP national President J.P. Nadda has sought a report detailing the reasons for this from the state unit, party leaders said on Monday.

BJP's state President Sukanta Majumdar said that an office bearer of the party's state committee is leaving for New Delhi on Monday night only with two separate reports - one on the Asansol Lok Sabha bypoll and the other on the Ballygunge Assembly bypoll.

In both these constituencies, where polling was held on April 12 and results declared on April 16, the BJP not only witnessed a humiliating defeat but also witnessed a major deletion in the vote share compared to previous elections.

In Asansol, the defeat was even more humiliating against the backdrop of the fact that in 2019, the BJP won from this constituency by a massive margin of 1.97 lakh votes. But in the by-polls, Trinamool Congress candidate Shatrughan Sinha defeated the BJP candidate, Agnimitra Paul by an even more massive margin of over three lakh votes.

BJP's state General Secretary, Organisation), Amitava Chakraborty will present the two reports to Nadda and the party's central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya.

Meanwhile, a member of the BJP's newly-appointed state committee, told IANS on strict condition of anonymity, that initial findings hint that some kind of internal sabotage might have some role to play in case of the disaster in Asansol. "Many of the party's old-timers became totally inactive before the bypolls in Asansol. There were also some differences between the state committee and West Burdwan district committee over the candidate selection. Whatever it might be. An in-depth introspection is required now before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls," he said.

The fact that the decline of the vote share is a matter of concern for BJP was indirectly accepted by Agnimitra Paul immediately after her humiliating defeat from Asansol "Just two years are left from the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The party leadership should introspect the reasons behind this disaster and work accordingly. I do not want to give any excuse for my defeat and accept the people's verdict," said Paul, who is already a sitting BJP legislator from Asansol (South) assembly constituency.

Saumitra Khan, the BJP MP from Bishnupur Lok Sabha in Bankura, said that the "immature approach" of the saffron leadership in West Bengal led to such a disaster.