Biswabrata Goswami
Krishnagar, 17 March: Internal discord within the Communist Party of India (Marxist) surfaced publicly in Nadia’s Kaliganj on Tuesday after a section of party workers allegedly vandalised a local CPIM office, protesting the selection of Sabina Yasmin as the party’s candidate for the forthcoming assembly election.
The incident has exposed simmering dissatisfaction at the grassroots level, even as the Left leadership attempted to project unity following the announcement of candidates for the polls.
According to local sources, tensions escalated soon after the Left Front chairman, Biman Bose, on Monday announced the names of 192 Left candidates, introducing Sabina Yasmin as the nominee from Kaliganj. While declaring her candidature, Bose described her as “the mother of a martyr child,” referring to the death of nine-year-old Tamanna during post-election violence in 2025.
Tamanna had reportedly died after being hit by a bomb allegedly hurled from a victory procession taken out following the Kaliganj by-election results last year. The incident had triggered widespread outrage in the area and turned Yasmin into a prominent face of protest, as she repeatedly took to the streets demanding justice and punishment for those responsible.
The CPIM’s decision to field Yasmin was seen by the party leadership as a politically symbolic move highlighting issues of violence and accountability. However, party insiders said a section of local workers expressed reservations over the candidature, claiming the selection overlooked organisational considerations and long-time party activists.
On Tuesday, the discontent reportedly spilled onto the streets when agitating workers gathered outside the party office and allegedly carried out vandalism, demanding an immediate change of candidate. Eyewitnesses said furniture and signboards were damaged during the protest, though no injuries were reported.
CPI-M district committee member S.M. Sadi downplayed the episode, stating that no major untoward incident had taken place. “There is some dissatisfaction among a section regarding the candidate. Such issues will be resolved internally through party discussions,” he said.
The development comes at a sensitive political moment in Kaliganj, where memories of last year’s violence remain fresh and electoral tensions are already high. Political observers believe the episode reflects the challenges facing the Left as it attempts to balance symbolic politics with organisational cohesion ahead of the polls.
With campaigning yet to gather full momentum, party leaders are now expected to focus on damage control to prevent internal disagreements from affecting electoral prospects in the constituency.
