Dhupguri bypoll defeat: BJP leaders call for self assessment, fixing organisational gaps

Kolkata: Criticising the state party leadership's failure to fix the organisational gaps for the defeat in the Dhupguri by-poll, party national secretary Anupam Hazra Friday called for "proper" self-assessment and fixing of the lacunae ahead of the Lok Sabha poll.

The ruling TMC wrested the Dhupguri assembly seat in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district on Friday from the BJP in the September 5 by-election.

TMC candidate Nirmal Chandra Roy, a college professor, won the seat by over 4,000 votes. His nearest rival was BJP's Tapasi Roy, the widow of a CRPF jawan killed in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir in 2021.

CPI (M) candidate Ishwar Chandra Roy, who the Congress backed, was at a distant third spot.

"I think it is high time that there is proper self-assessment and organisational gaps are fixed ahead of the Lok Sabha poll. We should take measures to fix our lacunae at the earliest," Hazra told PTI.

Former BJP state president and MP Dilip Ghosh said it is "quite natural" and generally so that the party in power in the state wins by-polls.

"But at the same time we must also have some sort of self assessment regarding the results," he said.

State BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya, however, said the party will react to the election result in the evening after a thorough discussion within the party.

With the defeat in Dhupguri, the BJP has lost all by-elections since its 2021 assembly poll defeat and the official number of seats of the party in the state assembly comes has down to 74 from the 77.

Six BJP MLAs have switched to the TMC but are yet to resign.