Police said the accused fled after shooting the BJP leader and his aides. (Representational)
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Raju Jha, was shot dead by unidentified people at Shaktigarh in West Bengal's Purba Bardhaman last evening, the police said.
According to senior officials, Raju Jha, a Durgapur-based businessman, and some colleagues were on their way to Kolkata when he was attacked by unidentified people outside a confectionery shop in Shaktigarh.
"In the car, there were three persons including Raju Jha. The motive of the accused is yet to be ascertained. Further investigation is underway," Bardhaman SP Kamnasis Sen said.
According to the police, Jha was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead. The injured persons are undergoing treatment at a hospital.
Following the incident, the accused fled the spot, he added.
During the rule of the Left Front, Jha was accused of operating an illegal coal business in Silpanchal.
Under the Trinamool government too, various cases were registered against him.
He joined the BJP ahead of the last assembly elections in December 2021 in the presence of then state party president Dilip Ghosh.
Further investigation is underway, the police added.