Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Dilip Ghosh is set to make a political comeback in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. The party has announced Ghosh as its candidate from the Kharagpur Sadar constituency, a seat he previously won in 2016. The elections are scheduled to be held in two phases on April 23 and 29, with results expected on May 4.
Born on August 1, 1964, in Kuliana village near Gopiballavpur, Ghosh began his political journey in 1984 as a volunteer with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He later served in leadership roles for the RSS in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from 1999 to 2007, assisting RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan. Ghosh joined the BJP in 2014 as West Bengal General Secretary and became state party president in 2015, strengthening the party’s presence in the state.
Ghosh first contested the West Bengal Assembly elections in 2016 from Kharagpur Sadar, defeating veteran Congress leader Gyan Singh Sohanpal, a ten-term legislator, and securing one of the three BJP seats in the state assembly. In 2019, he contested the Medinipur Lok Sabha seat, defeating Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Manas Bhunia by nearly 89,000 votes. He was reappointed as West Bengal BJP president in January 2020 and actively led campaigns for party candidates in the 2021 state elections, though he did not personally contest.
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His candidacy comes amid political tensions, as the TMC has filed a complaint with the Chief Election Commissioner, alleging that Ghosh violated the model code of conduct and issued threats of violence against party leaders and workers, as well as members of the general public in areas including Kalighat and Chetla. The complaint underscores the polarized atmosphere leading up to the elections.
Ghosh’s political career has been marked by a series of controversies. He has faced criticism for comments about students, TMC workers, and public figures. These include statements in 2016 disparaging female students, threats in 2019 toward TMC workers’ families, and provocative remarks about cows and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Ghosh has defended his actions on multiple occasions, maintaining that they were justified within political discourse.
Married to Rinku Majumdar, who is active in the BJP’s women’s wing, Ghosh remains a central figure in West Bengal politics. His re-entry into electoral politics is seen as a strategic move by the BJP to regain influence in the state, highlighting both the party’s ambitions and the increasingly contentious nature of the upcoming polls.
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