With the announcement of candidates for the West Bengal Assembly Election 2026, political tensions have intensified across the state, as the BJP faces multiple controversies following the release of its first list for 144 seats.
Within a day of the announcement, former cricketer Ashok Dinda, who has been fielded from Moyna in East Midnapore, approached the Calcutta High Court seeking relief over pending criminal cases against him.
According to sources, Dinda has sought clarity on the number of cases registered against him, a mandatory disclosure required under election laws for candidates filing nomination papers. Earlier, on March 6, he had formally requested the police to provide details of all pending cases, but he is yet to receive the information.
During proceedings before the bench of Justice Sougata Bhattacharya, Dinda’s counsel Anish Mukherjee argued that obtaining these details is essential for filing his nomination. The court has granted permission to file the petition, and the matter is likely to be heard later this week.
Reacting to the development, BJP leader Debjit Sarkar defended Dinda’s move, stating that any individual who believes they are facing politically motivated cases has the right to seek legal recourse.
“The doors of the High Court are open to all citizens,” he said.
Meanwhile, another controversy has emerged over the BJP’s Ausgram candidate Kalita Majhi, whose name currently appears as “Under Adjudication” in the voter list published by the Election Commission of India following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) on February 28.
The “Under Adjudication” status applies to nearly 60 lakh names, including Kalita’s, raising questions within political circles about her eligibility as a voter. Observers have questioned how a candidate whose voter status is yet to be finalised has been fielded in the election.
Kalita, a domestic worker by profession, had also contested the West Bengal Assembly Election 2021 from Ausgram but was defeated. Despite the uncertainty surrounding her voter status, the BJP has once again nominated her for the seat.
Opposition voices have raised concerns, suggesting that the BJP’s move reflects confidence that her name will be cleared in the final voter list—allegations that indirectly question the neutrality of the Election Commission.
However, Sarkar dismissed such criticism, asserting that the party is under no obligation to justify its candidate choices to opponents. He also accused critics of unnecessarily targeting the SIR process, claiming it had already been delayed and was now being politicised.
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