E-Paper
Economist and journalist among main contenders
Commenting on their candidature, national general secretary Bhupender Yadav said it showed that the BJP wanted to usher in reforms in the state and bank on the experience of experts.
Economist Ashok K Lahiri and journalist and Rajya Sabha member, Swapan Dasgupta, are among the BJP’s candidates for the third phase of elections in West Bengal, the party announced on Sunday.
While Lahiri, who was the chief economic adviser between 2002 and 2007, and also a member of the 15th finance commission, will contest the Alipurduar assembly constituency, Dasgupta who was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2016 will be the candidate from Tarakeshwar.
Commenting on their candidature, national general secretary Bhupender Yadav said it showed that the BJP wanted to usher in reforms in the state and bank on the experience of experts.
“The BJP has been talking about bring a parivartan (change) in West Bengal. The candidates who have been selected have been picked on the basis of their expertise and they can make a valuable contribution to the BJP’s agenda of undertaking reforms in the state,” Yadav said.
Dasgupta, still listed as a nominated MP on the Rajya Sabha website, represented the party when a delegation of leaders met President Ramnath Kovind and home minister Amit Shah in July last year to seek a CBI inquiry into the death of Hemtabad MLA Debnath Rai and has also been part of party delegations that have called on the election commission.
“He has been actively involved in outreach before the general elections; he was the pointperson who helped articulate the party’s vision amongst the intellectuals of the state and has been working at the grassroots,” said a party functionary.
“Honoured to be nominated by the West Bengal BJP to contest from Tarakeshwar — a centre of Bengal’s cultural heritage. I look forward to the campaign for a new, vibrant Sonar Bangla,” Dasgupta tweeted after his name was announced.
While there was no clarity whether both Lahiri and Dasgupta have formally joined the party, national general secretary Kailash Vijayvarghiya said Dasgupta has been an active member of the BJP. He also said candidates can join the party formally even after the candidature is announced. While a video of the Alipurduar BJP district president criticising the nomination of Lahiri from the assembly constituency was shared on social media, a second BJP functionary said the party has picked Lahiri for his “demonstrated abilities”.
“He served on various committees appointed by the Government of India, including as a member on Fiscal Responsibility Legislation (2000). He has served on boards of various organisations, including Securities and Exchange Board of India and is currently the chairman, Governing Council, Indian Statistical Institute. His experience as the member of the finance commission will be relied upon to draft the new economic policy for the state,” said another party functionary.
