Fresh allegations of poster damage raised by TMC against BJP in Siliguri flare up political tension
Telegraph | 8 April 2026
Political tensions in Siliguri escalated once again on Tuesday following fresh allegations of poster defacement against the BJP by the Trinamool Congress.
Gautam Deb, a senior Trinamool leader and the party’s candidate from the Siliguri Assembly constituency, has accused the BJP and outgoing MLA Shankar Ghosh of orchestrating a “planned campaign” to vandalise the Trinamool’s campaign materials.
Deb, who is also the mayor of Siliguri Municipal Corporation, claimed on Tuesday that the party posters, festoons and flags were torn down and discarded across the city.
“I have visited all 33 wards of the Siliguri Assembly seat and found that defacement of Trinamool posters and flags has been carried out in nearly 50 percent of the areas. BJP workers have carried out these acts in a planned manner, which is extremely unfortunate,” he said.
Stepping up his attack, Deb appealed to the residents of Siliguri to politically reject the BJP in the upcoming polls.
“I urge the people to uproot and drive out the BJP from Siliguri. At the same time, I appeal to voters to boycott the BJP candidate in the Siliguri Assembly constituency,” he said.
The BJP has fielded Shankar for the second time from the seat.
This is not the first time such allegations have surfaced. On Sunday evening, he visited ward 13 after reports emerged that BJP stickers had been pasted over TMC posters.
The mayor and councillors also toured several areas, including Gurungbusty, Pradhannagar, Surya Sen Park and Mahakalpally, where similar complaints were reported. According to Deb, formal complaints have been lodged with the administration.
Responding to the allegations, Shankar refrained from making detailed comments but termed the accusations “unfortunate.”
“I have already asked the administration to provide details of CCTV surveillance across the city to identify those responsible for such acts. Unfortunately, the mayor is making such political accusations,” he said.