A Triangular Ticket FightIn BJP For WB Polls; Party Finds The Trend In A Survey

Kolkata:  As the Election Commission's special intensive revision (SIR) of the voters' list has entered its final phase in West Bengal, BJP conducted a confidential statewide survey of its prospective candidates at 294 seats for the upcoming Assembly Election, which has unfolded a triangular fight for a ticket within.

Though there has been no exodus from the Trinamul Congress this time unlike five years ago when prominent ruling party leaders deserted their supremo and chief minister Mamata Banerjee and contested the Assembly polls on BJP tickets, denying a chance to many old guards, the race for candidatures in the main opposition party has however become so intense now that three probable names have surfaced for almost every seat.

The trend, according to sources, came to light after the survey of around 1000 voters as samples were made at each seat in two-three rounds by a data-driven professionally independent agency engaged by the BJP. It also showed a fresh contender’s emergence in each round for a ticket which may pose a challenge while screening for the candidate selection later among the three, a party leader indicated anonymously.

Altogether, the list of potentials has a mix of both old and new guards, who either won or lost in the polls earlier, and those who never got a chance to contest the polls due to their silent role in the past. It has been sent to the party's central leadership, sources said.

Simultaneously, another survey has been carried out as a precautionary measure to mark three most improbable faces at each constituency, who have been vying for a ticket at any cost, sources revealed. In this category, most of the ticket aspirants are from South Bengal, appear to be TMC turncoats and have a tainted past. The list of unlikely ones, a party insider pointed out, was prepared so that they can not influence the candidate selection process at the final stage.