No Muslim in BJP first list: Minority cell chief says may join TMC

He added: “As many as 23 applications were sent to the state BJP president, which also included my name for Raniganj constituency. All have been rejected. I am disappointed at such discrimination. I have been working hard as the minority president…”

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“On the contrary, Mamata Banerjee has nominated 57 Muslim candidates. How can the BJP expect to get Muslim votes if it is not ready to nominate Muslim candidates?” Ansari asked.

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Alleging that BJP had fielded Manish Sharma from Raniganj because of his financial clout, Ansari said: “Manish is a rich man. I am not. The situation prevalent when Rahul Sinha was the party president continues even during Dilip Ghosh’s reign. I wish I too had ancestral property so that I could pay a lot of money to get a ticket.”

He also claimed that the state BJP president had not taken his calls. “I tried to call him several times since this morning but every time, his personal assistant told me he was busy. If he is so busy for his own party worker, who should we talk to?”

“In the evening, he told me he was sorry that he could not give me a ticket and offered me another constituency. I refused, saying that I had worked for Raniganj and have a fair chance of winning from the seat, instead of contesting from a constituency where BJP has no chance of winning at all,” Ansari added.

On Facebook, Ansari has put up a post saying that he had asked for a ticket from Raniganj but was denied. He went on to question if the candidate who had been nominated from the seat was more deserving.

When contacted, BJP national general secretary and party incharge for Bengal, Kailash Vijayvargiya, said: “I will have to look into what the confusion is. But if he joins Trinamool, we all, including you, will come to know.”