BJP Leaders Who Publicly Feuded for 18 Months Stand Together Long Enough for Photographer to Take Picture

By P. KRISHNAMURTHY, FIELD REPORTER · March 31, 2026

In a carefully choreographed display of party unity, BJP leaders who have spent the past year and a half making pointed statements about each other to regional media stood in the same frame for approximately 90 seconds during a nomination filing ceremony in Nandigram.

NANDIGRAM — The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday successfully positioned two leaders who have not spoken to each other since 2023 within three feet of one another for the duration of a photo opportunity, sources confirmed.

Suvendu Adhikari, filing his nomination papers for the Nandigram Assembly constituency, was joined by former state BJP president Dilip Ghosh, marking the first time the two men have occupied the same physical space without a minimum distance of 50 meters since their last documented disagreement over organizational matters, which they both described to different newspapers as "a minor difference of opinion" and "a betrayal of everything the party stands for," respectively.

"This shows the strength of our party," said a BJP spokesperson, reading from prepared remarks. "When election time comes, personal animosities, public accusations, and 14 separate interviews given to Bengali news channels all expressing incompatible visions for the party's future in the state are set aside."

Party workers confirmed that both leaders smiled continuously during the 90-second photo session, maintained eye contact with the cameras rather than each other, and successfully avoided any verbal exchange beyond "namaste" by coordinating their arrivals to ensure they would stand on opposite ends of the candidate.

Ghosh, who has spent much of the past 18 months being described by party sources as "sidelined," "marginalized," and "no longer in the loop," said he was honored to attend the nomination filing. "The party is bigger than any individual," he told reporters, standing at a microphone positioned exactly 2.1 meters from where Adhikari stood at a different microphone.

According to sources familiar with the coordination, the display of unity required three weeks of negotiations, two separate cars arriving at staggered times, and a detailed seating chart for the subsequent press conference that ensured both leaders could be photographed together while technically addressing different sections of the room.

At press time, both leaders had returned to their respective vehicles and departed in opposite directions, with party officials confirming that unity would resume "as and when required, particularly when cameras are present."