Kolkata, 24 March (H.S.) :
Bharatiya Janata Party leaders on Tuesday addressed a press conference in Kolkata highlighting fresh political support from North Bengal, issues related to voter list revision and the prevailing political situation in the state.
The press conference was held at the party’s Salt Lake office in the presence of state president Samik Bhattacharya, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and former Member of Parliament and state general secretary Locket Chatterjee.
Party leaders said several prominent personalities from North Bengal have extended their support to the BJP and formally joined the party. Among them were Rajbanshi movement leader Girijashankar Roy and former MLA Arghya Roy Pradhan, along with several other regional leaders.
Speaking on the occasion, Banshibadan Barman raised the demand for special recognition of the Rajbanshi language and culture.
Former MLA Arghya Roy Pradhan said he decided to join the BJP after spending many years in another political party, claiming he was unwilling to compromise with corruption there. He added that he would work to strengthen the BJP in North Bengal in the coming days.
Suvendu Adhikari described the developments as politically significant, stating that the support from North Bengal indicates a changing political mood in the state. Criticising the current state government, he said the desire for political change among the people is steadily growing.
State president Samik Bhattacharya, in his address, claimed that the current political situation in West Bengal has turned into a “people versus Trinamool Congress” contest. He alleged that the ruling party has lost public trust and accused it of corruption, anti-farmer and anti-labour policies, and administrative failures.
On the issue of voter list revision, Bhattacharya said it is the responsibility of the Election Commission of India to ensure an error-free and transparent electoral roll. He alleged that in many cases, Form-7 submissions were not uploaded into the system and that party workers faced obstacles in several places during the process.
He further said that the revision process should not be halted midway and must be completed in the interest of conducting free and fair elections.
At the press conference, BJP leaders claimed that the people of West Bengal are prepared for political change and that this would be reflected in the upcoming elections.
Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh
