The Indian National Congress headquarters (Bidhan Bhavan) in Kolkata witnessed protests and clashes on Wednesday as Congress workers demonstrated against the party's candidate selection, amid allegations of ticket selling against state Congress president Shubhankar Sarkar.
According to sources, tensions escalated in the afternoon when aggrieved workers and supporters gathered at the party office after their preferred candidates were not selected in constituencies such as Entally and Ballygunge. The situation turned violent, leading to vandalism inside the office.
Clashes, injury, and counter-allegations
During the commotion, one Congress worker reportedly suffered a head injury. Allegations of molestation were also raised in connection with the incident.
While one group claimed the protest turned violent, another section alleged they were demonstrating peacefully when they were attacked by supporters linked to the party candidate from Entally.
The unrest follows a series of complaints after the Congress released its candidate list. Allegations of ticket selling against Shubhankar Sarkar have surfaced from multiple areas, intensifying internal dissent within the party.
Protests spread across districts
The anger over candidate selection has not been limited to Kolkata. Similar incidents of protest and vandalism have been reported from several districts.
In Alipurduar's Falakata, dissatisfaction over candidates has been visible. Party offices in Burdwan city on BC Road and in Howrah rural’s Uluberia at Abani Basu Bhavan were allegedly vandalised on Tuesday.
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Protests have also been reported from Mandirbazar in South 24 Parganas and Nakashipara in Nadia. In Ballygunge, a section of workers had already staged demonstrations on Tuesday, which later escalated into Wednesday’s confrontation at Vidhan Bhavan.
Reacting to the developments, AICC observer Ghulam Ahmed Mir said, "We have said before that there were two and a half thousand applications for 294 constituencies. Therefore, dissatisfaction may exist. However, if we receive specific allegations that someone deserving has been deprived and someone else has been made a candidate, there is scope for consideration and correction."
The incidents highlight growing unrest within the Congress in West Bengal over candidate selection ahead of the Assembly elections.
