Abhijit Gangopadhyay gets BJP Lok Sabha ticket days after resigning as Calcutta HC judge

BJP's Lok Sabha candidates list: Abhijit Gangopadhyay gets BJP Lok Sabha ticket days after resigning as Calcutta HC judge.

BJP's Lok Sabha candidates list: The Bharatiya Janata Party announced 111 additional candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on Sunday. Among them, Abhijit Gangopadhyay secured a BJP Lok Sabha ticket just days after resigning as a Calcutta High Court judge.

Former Calcutta High Court judge Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay joins BJP.(PTI)

Gangopadhyay stepped down as judge earlier this month and joined the Saffron party.

The Tamluk seat has been a stronghold of the ruling Trinamool Congress, as the party has held it since the 2009 election.

Who is Abhijit Gangopadhyay?

• Born in Kolkata in 1962, Justice Gangopadhyay attended Mitra Institution before pursuing his legal education at Hazra Law College in Kolkata.

• Initially serving as a West Bengal Civil Service Grade A officer in Uttar Dinajpur district, he transitioned to private practice as a state lawyer in the Calcutta High Court after completing his graduation.

• Justice Gangopadhyay's judicial career saw him ascend to the rank of additional judge in 2018, later becoming a permanent judge two years later.

• In April last year, Justice Gangopadhyay stirred controversy by discussing a case involving the 'school jobs for cash scam' in an interview with a TV channel. His remarks, particularly on TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee's alleged involvement, drew criticism from the Supreme Court, which said that sitting judges should refrain from giving media interviews.

BJP's Lok Sabha list from West Bengal

BJP named 19 more candidates from West Bengal. The party has shifted Dilip Ghosh, the current MP representing Medinipur, to Bardhaman–Durgapur, while dropping the incumbent S S Ahluwalia.

This is a developing story. Please get back to check for updates.