Lok Sabha Elections 2024: BJP Names Sandeshkhali Violence Survivor Rekha Patra From Basirhat

West Bengal's Sandeshkhali has hit the headlines again after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) decided to field Rekha Patra, a survivor of the Sandeshkhali violence. The saffron party released its fifth list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024, in which, 19 candidates from the West Bengal have been selected. As per the announcement, Rekha Patra will contest elections from the Basirhat constituency.

She was the first woman to raise voice against alleged sexual assault and land grabbing by three expelled Trinamool Congress leaders Sheikh Shahjahan, and his allies Shibu Hazra and Uttam Sardar, who are in jail now.

Allegedly, Sheikh Shahjahan was also the mastermind behind the attack on the Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s team. He was arrested by the West Bengal Police almost after a month, and later he was handed over to the Central agencies after the court's intervention. The BJP had also been alleging that Mamata Banerjee's West Bengal government tried to save the former TMC leader.

Apart from fielding Patra from Basirhat, BJP top brass also changed seats of two of its incumbent MPs Dilip Ghosh, who is also West Bengal BJP Chief, and former Union minister Debasree Chowdhury.

The party has also given a ticket to former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Ganguly, who recently joined the BJP, from the Tamluk constituency to contest Lok Sabha elections this time. Notably, Ganguly would have more chances to win from this seat as Tamluk is a stronghold for BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and his family, who would be backing the former Judge.

The incumbent MP Arjun Singh from Barrackpore, who had switched sides earlier and returned back to BJP this month, has also been re-nominated.

Saffron party has named Amrita Roy, a member of the royal family of Krishnanagar, to contest from the Krishnanagar seat against TMC's strong opponent Mahua Moitra.