In Bengal, a former judge, a member of the erstwhile royal family, a fashion designer in the BJP line-up

Kolkata:

Determined to achieve party president Nadda’s goal of occupying 35 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal, the BJP has proposed a hybrid package from Bengal that includes a high court judge, a former member of the royal family and a Sandesh Kali Women. Beyond this, the usual celebrity component also adds luster to the election in the eastern state, known for its intelligentsia and booming film industry.

Leading the BJP is Rekha Patra. The candidate from Basirhat is one of the women from Sandeshkari who has been at the forefront of the fight against local Trinamool strongman Sheikh Shah Jahan.

The BJP fielded Rekha Patra from Basirhat in Bengal.she is one of the victims #sandeshkarihe suffered at the hands of Sheikh Shah Jahan.

Let Mamata Banerjee wipe away the tears of women like her who were suffering in silence and affected by her indifference until she made her request…

— Amit Malviya (Modi’s family) (@amitmalviya) March 24, 2024

In Krishna Nagar, the BJP fielded former royal Amrita Ray against Trinamool’s Mahua Moitra, who was questioned over an alleged cash-for-question deal. He was disqualified from being a member of the Lok Sabha due to a scam and later returned to the electoral contest.

Former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who recently joined the BJP after taking voluntary retirement, will contest from Tamluk in Bengal. He is the first retired judge to join electoral politics, reversing the judiciary’s hitherto distant approach.

Also on the list is Tapas Roy, who quit the Trinamool after it became clear he would be denied entry after the Enforcement Directorate raided his home. Now in the BJP, he is taking on senior Kolkata North MP Sudip Bandopadhyay.

Asansol MLA and former fashion designer Agnimitra Paul, who has been a vocal defender of the BJP in Bengal, replaced Dilip Ghosh from Medinipur. She will face actor and Trinamool MLA June Maliah.

Mr Ghosh, who is believed to have given the BJP 18 seats in 2019, has been transferred to Badhaman-Durgapur where he will face Trinamool’s Kirti Azad.