West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Samik Bhattacharya on Monday, 7 July 2025, publicly expressed strong displeasure over the appointment of Sushanta Chatterjee — elder brother of BJP MP Locket Chatterjee — as chairman of Kamarhati Municipality in North 24 Parganas district, and sought an urgent internal report on the matter. Bhattacharya made clear that the party would not tolerate what he termed 'encroachment politics' in civic bodies across the state.

What Triggered the Controversy

The flashpoint was the election of Sushanta Chatterjee, an Independent councillor, as chairman of Kamarhati Municipality last Friday — a decision endorsed unanimously by 27 councillors present at the board meeting. Crucially, the election was carried through with the support of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillors, prompting immediate speculation that the municipality had effectively come under BJP influence through an informal arrangement rather than a formal party process.

Bhattacharya's Public Rebuke

Speaking after attending the 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Syama Prasad Mookerjee at the BJP state headquarters on Muralidhar Sen Lane in central Kolkata, Bhattacharya did not mince words. 'Anyone who comes, anyone who makes himself a councillor of Kolkata Municipal or municipalities in Baranagar, Kamarhati, Bidhannagar, and the party will silently accept it? This cannot be allowed to happen. Encroachment politics will not be allowed,' he said. He directed that a report be submitted to state general secretary Amitabha Chakraborty by the close of Monday.

The Kamarhati Power Shift in Context

The developments at Kamarhati are part of a broader pattern of civic-body realignments in West Bengal following the state's shifting political landscape. On 12 June, Gopal Saha resigned as both chairman and TMC councillor of Kamarhati Municipality. Three other TMC councillors — Dipanshu Ghoshal of Ward No. 8, Lakshmi Biswas of Ward No. 19, and Shyamal Chakraborty of Ward No. 27 — followed with their own resignations. This sequence of exits left a power vacuum that Sushanta Chatterjee's election was seen as filling, though the route taken — through TMC support rather than a BJP-mandated process — is what has drawn the party leadership's ire.

Why the BJP Is Uneasy

The BJP's discomfort stems from concerns that individuals are leveraging personal connections or opportunistic alliances to claim civic posts without formal party authorisation. Bhattacharya's reference to municipalities in Baranagar, Bidhannagar, and Kolkata suggests the Kamarhati episode is not isolated — the party leadership appears to be signalling a broader crackdown on unsanctioned manoeuvring in local bodies. Notably, the fact that Sushanta Chatterjee is the sibling of a sitting BJP MP adds a layer of political sensitivity, making it harder for the party to act without internal friction.

What Happens Next

The report sought by Bhattacharya is expected to inform whether the party takes formal disciplinary or corrective action. The episode also puts the spotlight on how the BJP manages its expanding footprint in West Bengal's civic landscape — and whether the party can enforce internal discipline as it gains ground in a state it has long sought to dominate.