The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday released its first list of candidates for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, but the announcement has triggered debate after observers noted the absence of the Bengali language in the document.

The list, which names 144 candidates for constituencies across the state, has been issued only in Hindi and English, with no Bengali version included. The omission has drawn attention in political circles and on social media, given that Bengali is the dominant language in the state. Netizens have slammed the BJP for excluding Bengali from the list.

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The absence of Bengali in the official candidate list has sparked criticism from some political commentators, who say that using the state's primary language in such documents would have been more appropriate for voters.

Trinamool Congress spokesperson Sudip Raha posted on X, "BJP has released its list of candidates for West Bengal elections in Hindi and English. They should learn Bengali first, before dreaming of winning Bengal."

Trinamool Congress spokesperson Arup Chakraborty told News Ei Samay, "The BJP epitomises an anti-Bengali mindset, and the fact that its latest list of candidates has been released only in Hindi and English stands as clear testimony to that."

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"At a time when Bengali identity and language remain central to the state's cultural ethos, ignoring Bangla in such an important announcement raises serious questions about the party's sensitivity toward Bengal's linguistic and cultural pride," Chakraborty added.

Netizens slam BJP for absence of Bengali

The absence of Bengali in the BJP's first candidate list also triggered reactions from several social media users. Responding to the party’s post on X, some users questioned why the names were not written in the state’s primary language.

One user wrote, "You are announcing candidates for Bengal, yet why is there nothing written in Bengali?" Another commented that since the list is meant for West Bengal, "all the names should ideally be in the Bengali language because that matters."

Others echoed similar concerns in the replies. One user asked, "You are releasing candidates in Bengal, but why is there not a single word in Bengali?" Another post read, "Releasing candidates for West Bengal, but not a single word written in Bengali."

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In a separate X post, a user criticised the move, saying the party had released an "incomplete list" while claiming to be ahead of the Trinamool Congress, and questioned why the candidate list was issued only in Hindi and English without Bangla.