The Brutal Violence BJP Cadre Faces In States Where It Is Emerging As A Strong Political Contender 

Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party is being accused of a militarised election campaign, the party's own cadre and support base is facing the brunt of political violence across the country.

A 22-year-old BJP worker, Sisupal Sahis, was found hanging from a tree in West Bengal's Purulia district. He was a member of the BJP Youth Morcha and his father is a deputy pradhan of the Sirkabad gram panchayat.

Purulia has witnessed deaths of BJP cadre earlier as well. In last year's panchayat elections in the state, which witnessed intense violence, 20-year-old Trilochan Mahato's death in Purulia was followed by the death of another worker, Dulal Kumar.

Both of these deaths were claimed to be political murders. West Bengal's Purulia is a former Maoist bastion that is now emerging as a BJP hub.

The BJP cadre has also faced a string of violent attacks across Odisha in the run-up to the second phase of the general election, allegedly at the hands of the ruling Biju Janta Dal (BJD) workers.

In Ganjam district, a 32-year-old party leader, Santosh Pati, was allegedly beaten to death by his BJD rivals. Earlier in the same district, a mutilated body of a BJP worker in Bhanjnagar assembly was discovered.

In another incident, the BJP's candidate from Bijepur constituency of the state assembly, Sanat Gadtia, was allegedly attacked in the constituency on Wednesday (17 April). Stones were hurled at him. He is contesting against chief minister Navin Patnaik.

The BJP also alleged that nine of its workers were injured after being attacked by BJD workers near Mangala slum in Niladri Vihar area of the state capital of Bhubaneswar.

Earlier, in Tamil Nadu's Thanjavur, a 75-year-old supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Govindrajan, was beaten to death by a DMK-Congress supporter named Gopinath.

From Tamil Nadu in the South to Bengal and Odisha in the East, the BJP cadre have been assaulted and even killed in the run-up to the 2019 general election.

These territories are those where the party has lately made inroads and it is expected by some that the party may make up for its losses in the Hindi belt with gains in these areas.