On Sunday tensions ran high during the nomination process for the BJP district president election in Kanpur. Some aggrieved workers of the party staged a unique protest at the BJP office. The disappointment was over the recent announcement of mandal presidents. The displeased workers garlanded the election in-charge Sangam Lal Gupta. But what caused chaos was they presented him with a bouquet of shoes.
ALSO READ: 50+ Killed After Multiple Earthquakes Strike Tibet
The BJP office in Naveen Market turned into chaos. Former Pratapgarh MP and BJP OBC Morcha general secretary Sangam Lal Gupta was tasked with overseeing the election and nomination process. But both became the focal point of the workers’ ire.
Protest erupted as soon as Gupta arrived at the office. The party Workers from the Colonelganj Mandal, feeling marginalized, staged the protest. Their grievances centered on perceived discrimination and a lack of transparency in the election process. The workers shouted slogans in front of the election in-charge and presented him with a “bunch of shoes’ as a protest
ALSO READ: Bangladesh Court Rejects Chinmoy Krishna Das’s Bail Plea
Former Mandal President Chandrakant Dwivedi said that the election process is not being followed properly in the party. Apart from this, all the workers including Jyoti Valmiki accused discrimination against Dalits. The workers raised slogans like “We will not tolerate the insult of Dalits”. They also said ‘Despite applying for the posts, workers are being given other posts against their wishes.
ALSO READ: Atul Subhash-Like Case In Delhi: All You Need To Know
The situation escalated quickly, prompting the senior BJP leaders to intervene to maintain order within the ranks. The senior leaders intervened and pacified the workers. The incident raised questions about the party’s organizational discipline, with some seeing it as a significant departure from the BJP’s traditionally orderly conduct.
ALSO READ: 9 RSS-BJP Men Sentenced To Life For Murder Of CPI(M) Worker
It all began after the names of Mandal presidents were announced on Friday. It stirred unrest among certain party factions. Some of them felt ignored, some felt sidelined in the nomination process. The frustration among the workers led to a protest against Gupta.
ALSO READ: Modi Vs Kejriwal In Delhi Ahead Of Polls
BJP workers have alleged that there is an application and voting process for the election of the Mandal President and District Representative. Which was not followed. This time, even after taking applications, voting was not done and the posts were announced directly from the state level. The workers alleged that discrimination is being done in Dalit-dominated areas.
ALSO READ: Coldwave, Thunderstorm, Hail, Smog: IMD Issues Alert To North India
After the episode, Sharma asked them why they did not raise the matter when the names were being finalized. Reports suggest that the incident has been discussed at the BJP state office and senior leaders refrained from commenting on it. The matter has come as a surprise to many in the district as the BJP is known for its organizational discipline.
ALSO READ: “Teach Your Children The Ramayana, Or…”: Kumar Vishwas Sparks Controversy
In response to the incident, BJP Uttar Pradesh President Deepu Pandey acknowledged the unrest, labeling the actions of the protesting workers as shameful. He noted that disciplinary measures would be taken against those involved in the disruption. Pandey emphasized that the party would not tolerate such acts of indiscipline.
ALSO READ: “You Will Like It”: Kangana Invites Priyanka Gandhi To Watch ‘Emergency’
Meanwhile, the video of the incident quickly went viral all over social media. In the video, the party workers can be seen arguing with Gupta. Soon after they hand him the unconventional bouquet. Gupta, being unaware of the presence of the shoe, accepted the bouquet happily. Upon realizing this, Gupta promptly placed the bouquet on the table. The workers began sloganeering and protesting inside the office premises.
ALSO READ: Tamil Nadu BJP Chief Annamalai Whips Himself Demands Justice
However, despite the uproar, the nomination process continued. The process went on from 12 noon to 4 pm under the leadership of District Election Officer Sangam Lal Gupta, and Observer Jaiprakash Chaturvedi. A total of 55 people including the current District President Deepu Pandey and former District President Sunil Bajaj filed their nominations. 14 nominations were filed as provincial members.
ALSO READ: Veteran Nuclear Scientist R Chidambaram, Dies At 88
For the post of President, 24 Brahmins, 13 women, 3 Thakurs, 6 OBCs, and people from other categories filed their nominations. The final panel of five names is expected to be submitted to the state leadership, with an announcement anticipated by January 20.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.