Dipak Haldar from Diamond Harbour constituency resigned from TMC in February and joined BJP
BJP candidate for Bengal's Diamond Harbour Dipak Haldar and his supporters were allegedly thrashed in the South 24 Parganas district during their election campaign this morning, the police said.
BJP's Diamond Harbour candidate Dipak Halder was campaigning in Haridebpur area in the district at around 9:30 am when his supporters got engaged in a war of words with a few people, they said.
"Amid the verbal duel, Dipak Halder and his supporters were allegedly thrashed with sticks," police said.
Mr Halder, a former Trinamool MLA who recently joined the BJP ahead of the Assembly elections, has been admitted to a hospital following the attack.
"He complained of chest pain and other problems. He is being attended by the doctors," a senior police officer told news agency Press Trust of India.
Dipak Halder's injured supporters were also admitted to the hospital, the police said.
"Two people have been arrested in connection with the attack," the police added.
The BJP alleged that Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress was behind the attack, a charge dismissed by the ruling party.
The Trinamool has claimed that the attack on the BJP candidate was a result of infighting as the party's old-timers were not happy with Dipak Halder's candidature.
Following the attack, BJP supporters also blocked National Highway 117 in protest, but were promptly removed by the police.
Diamond Harbour is also the Lok Sabha constituency of Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)