Calcutta, India – The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has recently announced 111 additional candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, with one notable candidate being Abhijit Gangopadhyay. Gangopadhyay, a former Calcutta High Court judge, resigned from his position just before securing a BJP Lok Sabha ticket.
Gangopadhyay, born in Kolkata in 1962, attended Mitra Institution and then pursued his legal education at Hazra Law College in Kolkata. After initially serving as a West Bengal Civil Service officer, he transitioned to private practice as a state lawyer in the Calcutta High Court. His judicial career saw him rise to the rank of an additional judge in 2018, eventually becoming a permanent judge two years later.
However, Gangopadhyay’s tenure as a judge was not without controversy. Last year, he faced criticism from the Supreme Court for discussing a case involving a ‘school jobs for cash scam’ in a television interview. The Supreme Court stated that sitting judges should refrain from giving media interviews.
The announcement of Gangopadhyay’s candidacy is significant, particularly in the Tamluk seat, which has been a stronghold of the ruling Trinamool Congress party since the 2009 election. The BJP also named 19 additional candidates from West Bengal, including Dilip Ghosh, the current MP representing Medinipur, who has been shifted to Bardhaman–Durgapur. This decision resulted in the incumbent S S Ahluwalia being dropped from the candidate list.
The upcoming Lok Sabha elections will be closely watched, as political leaders across the spectrum discuss the implications and potential outcomes. With the announcement of candidates like Gangopadhyay, the BJP is aiming to make significant strides in West Bengal.
This is a developing story, and further updates will be provided.