At least 30 BJP workers held by West Bengal Police for not seeking permission ahead of Yuva Sankalp Yatra aninews.in - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from aninews.in Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Sitalkuchi, largely an agrarian region, dominated by tobacco farmers with some wealthy ones and some migrants, has seen violence in the recent past. A young couple was harassed by TMC workers outside the polling booth in April 2019. There were two attacks on state BJP president Dilip Ghosh –– one before his rath yatra in December 2018 and one a week ago. But there have been none like the violent clashes on Saturday that experts say threatens to polarise the state further.
Sitalkuchi has among the highest percentage of Muslims (36%) in Cooch Behar, only next to Dinhata where MP Nisith Pramanik is the BJP candidate, apart from Rajbhongshis (50%). The Rajbongshis are the third-largest Hindu caste in Bengal constituting 28% of the total population, but account for 60% of the rural population of North Bengal and claim to be the ‘earliest settlers’.
Express News Service
COOCH BEHAR/ALIPURDUAR: Sitting on a wooden chair in his small book store, Surojit Dey was looking at the BJP roadshow marching along the arterial road of Alipurduar.
The small town in north Bengal never experienced such an election extravaganza thousands of people, lines of decorated vehicles and dozens of musical bands. The crowd continued roaring ‘Jai Shri Ram’.
“Look at the faces. They represent all segments of our society college students, government employees, daily wage workers. Most of them are Dalits who used to be the strength of our party five years ago,’’ said Surojit, a TMC worker.