Kaliganj, March 17 A group of CPI(M) workers ransacked the party's own office in Kaliganj, a constituency in Nadia district of West Bengal, because they were unhappy with the candidate selected by the leadership for the area.
CPI(M) sources said that a group of party workers stormed the local office, leading to clashes and the destruction of furniture and documents. They demanded that the candidate be replaced.
The incident occurred hours after the Left Front announced Sabina Yasmin as its candidate from Kaliganj on Monday evening. She is the mother of a girl who was killed by a crude bomb allegedly thrown during a victory rally on the day of the by-elections in the constituency in June last year. The TMC won the by-election.
Yasmin denied any internal dissent within the party. "I have been nominated because the people wanted me. Party members have welcomed me wholeheartedly. Any unrest could be the result of provocation by the opposition," she said.
However, Trinamool Congress leaders dismissed allegations of their involvement. Krishnanagar organisational district chairman Rukbanur Rahman said, "A party that has become a signboard has no significant impact even if there is internal conflict."
Kaliganj MLA Alifa Ahmed also denied any involvement of her party. "Our workers are busy with election duties and public outreach. I have no information that any of our members were involved," she said.
The assembly elections, to be held on April 23 and 29, are seen as a battle for survival for the CPI(M)-led Left Front, which ruled the state uninterruptedly for 34 years until 2011 and failed to win a single seat in the 2021 polls.