More than a year and a half after the Lok Sabha elections, posters describing Tamluk Member of Parliament Abhijit Gangopadhyay as “missing” have appeared across several parts of Nandigram, triggering a fresh war of words between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The posters, which surfaced in Nandigram Area No. 4 as well as the Vekutia, Daudpur and Samsabad gram panchayat areas, carry a message seeking information about the whereabouts of the MP. “Have you seen Abhijit Ganguly, MP? If any kind-hearted person finds him, we specifically request them to contact the people of Nandigram,” the posters read.
Abhijit Gangopadhyay, a former Calcutta High Court judge, resigned from the judiciary ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and joined the BJP. He went on to win the Tamluk parliamentary seat, defeating Trinamool Congress candidate Debansh Bhattacharya. However, residents in parts of Nandigram have alleged that the MP has not been seen in the area since the elections, prompting the appearance of the posters.
Nandigram is politically significant, as it falls under the assembly constituency represented by Leader of the Opposition Shuvendu Adhikari. The posters have intensified political tensions in the region, with rival parties trading accusations over their origin and intent.
The Trinamool Congress has claimed that the incident is the result of internal factionalism within the BJP. Sheikh Shamsul Islam from TMC alleged, “Supporters of Shuvendu Adhikari were behind the posters. After Ganguly spoke against the (alleged) assaulters of chicken patty seller, who were felicitated by Adhikari, there have been disagreements within the BJP involving the MP. The development reflects infighting within the saffron party, Shamsul Islam said.
The BJP, however, has strongly denied the allegations. Sudip Das, President of BJP’s Nandigram Mandal 2 unit, dismissed the claims as politically motivated and accused the Trinamool Congress of attempting to divert public attention. He asserted that Abhijit Gangopadhyay regularly visits Nandigram and said the MP had attended multiple programmes in the area on the day the controversy erupted.
Das also countered the Trinamool Congress narrative by alleging that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had not visited Nandigram after losing the constituency in the 2021 Assembly elections, and said the posters, if read critically, should instead question her absence.
