Sandeshkhali 'victim', former HC judge, Dilip Ghosh among Bengal LS nominees in BJP list

Former Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, Sandeshkali victim Rekha Patra, and former state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh are among the 19 candidates whose names were announced by the BJP for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal. It was during his tenure as the state BJP chief that the party won 18 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 and 77 seats in the assembly in 2021.

Former Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, Sandeshkali 'victim' Rekha Patra, and former state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh are among the 19 candidates whose names were announced by the BJP for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal. While there are 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state, candidates for 20 seats were named on March 2.

Following are the key BJP candidates from the state: *Bardhaman-Durgapur - Dilip Ghosh* Ghosh is often credited for the rise of the BJP in the state during his tenure as the state BJP chief from December 2015 to October 2021. The former national vice-president of the party is presently MP from Medinipur constituency, but he has been assigned to contest from Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha seat, which was earlier represented by Surendra Singh Ahluwalia. It was during his tenure as the state BJP chief that the party won 18 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 and 77 seats in the assembly in 2021. Ghosh, known for his straightforward remarks, has often earned both praise and criticism within the party and in social life.

*Basirhat - Rekha Patra* Perhaps the strongest political statement made by the BJP so far in choosing its candidates was through Rekha Patra, a housewife from the troubled region of Sandeshkhali. Patra, an alleged victim of torture at the hands of arrested TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh who was suspended by the party later and his cohorts, was fielded from Basirhat. Among the most vocal Sandeshkhali protestors, it was based on Patra's complaint that Bengal police arrested Shibu Hazra, a local muscleman and Sheikh's associate. Patra is also believed to have been part of the group that met Modi on the sidelines of his public meeting in Barasat on March 6 and related the plight of Sandeshkhali women to the PM.

*Tamluk - Abhijit Gangopadhyay* Former Calcutta High Court justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, known for his swift judgments in corruption cases, had won both praise and criticism during his tenure as a judge. He joined the BJP earlier this month after resigning as a judge. He will be contesting from the Tamluk seat, known as the bastion of Suvendu Adhikari and his family. Suvendu's younger brother Dibyendu Adhikari, who recently joined the BJP, had twice won the seat on a TMC ticket. In 2019, he had won the seat by bagging 50 per cent of the total votes polled.

*Barrackpore - Arjun Singh* Known as a 'strongman' in the political circle of North 24 Parganas, Singh had won the seat on a BJP ticket in 2019 after being denied an MP ticket from the TMC. After winning the seat by a margin of 14,000 votes, he returned to TMC in 2022 but did not resign as an MP. He went back to BJP this month after being denied the ticket from the Barrackpore seat, known as his pocket borough.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)