‘BJP leaders not allowed in my sweet home’: Ticket denial sparks protest by party worker in Silchar

Discontent within the BJP over ticket distribution for the first municipal election in Silchar since Independence has surfaced in an unusual form, with a long-time party worker contesting as an Independent and putting up a banner outside his home declaring that BJP leaders are not welcome there.

Rathindranath Saha, an Independent candidate from Ward 11, is protesting after being denied a BJP ticket for the municipal polls. 

According to a report by Aaj Tak Bangla, Saha has alleged that several long-standing BJP workers across different wards were overlooked in favour of other candidates.

A banner outside Saha’s residence reads: “BJP leaders are not allowed to enter my beloved home.”

Speaking to Aaj Tak Bangla, Saha expressed his anger over the party’s ticket distribution and claimed that his family had been associated with the BJP for generations.

He said his father and grandfather had been BJP members since the party’s earlier days and that he too joined the organisation before becoming associated with the RSS and VHP.

Saha alleged that there is now “no place for the real BJP” within the party’s local organisation.

He also claimed that former Congress leaders, naming Sushmita Dev and Gautam Roy among others, were being given importance within the BJP without adequate justification.

“I have staged this protest to teach them a proper lesson,” Saha was quoted as saying.

He further alleged that there is a significant difference between the BJP of the past and the party today, claiming that Congress leaders are now influencing the functioning of the BJP.

The controversy comes as Silchar prepares for its first municipal election since Independence, with ticket distribution reportedly leading to dissent among sections of BJP workers and aspirants.

Saha is now contesting the Ward 11 election as an Independent candidate, turning his opposition to the party’s ticket distribution into an electoral challenge.