BJP Gives Ticket to Matua Leader Subrata Thakur

Prominent Matua leader, Subrata Thakur, brother of BJP MP Santanu Thakur, was given a nomination from Gaighata by the BJP on Tuesday after another list of candidates was announced for 11 seats for the assembly elections in West Bengal. Sources have confirmed that Shantanu Thakur was the first choice for the nomination but was turned down.

This time, the BJP is going all-out to win the assembly elections in West Bengal. While Swapan Dasgupta and Locket Chatterjee have been given a ticket from Tarakeswar and Chandannagar, Babul Supriyo and Nishith Pramanik have also been pitted in the field. It was at this time that speculation began about Shantanu Thakur likely to be nominated by BJP. Sources have also confirmed that Shantanu Thakur and Amit Shah had a meeting on Sunday where Thakur said that he did not want to contest; instead, he just wanted to know why his name was swapped with Subrata in the list of candidates.

The Matua group is the deciding factor in the fight for at least 64 constituencies in the state. The contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has been the deciding factor for BJP-Matua relations. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had assured that the matter will be cleared after the covid-19 vaccination phase. However, Shah in a revised statement said the citizenship law will be introduced when BJP comes to power in West Bengal. Another controversy hints that BJP has not considered Matua as their candidate; rather, they are inclined to field Shantanu Tagore.