NEW DELHI: In the aftermath of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) significant victory in the West Bengal assembly elections, state party president Samik Bhattacharya has called on the administration to take decisive action against individuals involved in post-poll violence.
Speaking to reporters, Bhattacharya stated that any BJP members found participating in violent acts would face expulsion from the party. “Post-poll violence will not be tolerated in any form. If anyone from our party is found involved, we will be compelled to remove them,” he asserted. He urged the administration to take necessary measures wherever such incidents arise, emphasizing that the electorate’s choice of the BJP was rooted in a desire for peace and order.
Bhattacharya also alleged that members of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) were attacking their own candidates. He recounted an incident wherein a TMC candidate reached out to BJP leader Dilip Ghosh for safety. According to the candidate, individuals identified as TMC were threatening him even though they had supported him during the elections. “This was bound to happen. TMC was not a political party,” he remarked.
In the meantime, a high-level meeting convened at the BJP’s Bidhannagar office consisted of central observers and senior state leaders, focusing on strategies to mitigate violence and uphold law and order in the post-election environment. Discussions also underscored the importance of preventing a repeat of the violence that occurred following the 2021 assembly elections, during which the BJP accused the ruling TMC of targeting its workers.
The BJP has successfully secured 207 out of the 293 seats contested, achieving a two-thirds majority, and is set to establish its first government in West Bengal, while the TMC won 80 seats.
