‘The state unit of the BJP could even see a change in the presidency of the Bengal unit’.
NEW DELHI: In view of the Panchayat elections in West Bengal scheduled for March-April next year, the Bengal unit of the BJP is likely to see some changes in its organisational structure by the end of this year to further strengthen the party.
Sources in the BJP told The Sunday Guardian that the state unit of the BJP could even see a change in the presidency of the Bengal unit of the BJP by the end of this year, due to a growing displeasure within some of the senior members of the party, including some MPs of the BJP.
Sources also hinted that the present leader of the opposition in the Bengal Legislative Assembly and senior leader, Suvendu Adhikari, could be given a larger responsibility within the party’s scheme of things.
The BJP for long has been struggling in West Bengal to put its house in order and the current president of the Bengal unit, Dr Sukanata Mazumdar, has run into trouble with many of his colleagues and party leaders who often blame him for being “immature” and “non-political” as he is unable to take decisions within the party and bring the senior members of his party on the same page on crucial decisions. Sources within the BJP also said that some districts presidents of the BJP could also see a change in the coming months, before the Panchayat elections, as the party has received “negative” feedbacks against them.
“Some of the district presidents over the last one-and-half-year has not been able to grow the party in their respective districts. They were given the task of putting the house in order and what we have seen is that in turn many of these districts are witnessing growing trouble within the party. We have been receiving feedback from several units and quarters from time to time and the top leadership will soon take a decision to overhaul them,” a senior BJP leader from West Bengal told The Sunday Guardian.
Some districts of West Bengal have still not been able to form booth level committees as well as a team for the party that would lead them to the Panchayat elections as well as the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the senior leadership in Delhi is unhappy with the performance of the state unit so far.
Sources within the BJP also says that, post the Gujarat elections are over, BJP’s Bengal in-charge and senior leader Sunil Bansal would be visiting the state to take “corrective” measures and “build his own team” to lead the party into the panchayat and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP in the 2019 elections won 18 out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats from Bengal, but in the last one-and-a-half year, the party has lost two of its MPs who have switched over to the TMC, while some of its MPs being unhappy with the state leadership have refrained from taking part in the party’s activities in Bengal.
Some MPs and even senior leaders have decided to stay camped in Delhi and have cut their travel to Bengal. “The Delhi leadership of the BJP is aware of all such happenings in the state and corrective and stringent measures are going to be taken as far as the Bengal BJP is concerned. The BJP leadership in Delhi is very serious about Bengal and that heightened focus will be put in Bengal from next year as the party hopes to repeat its 2019 performance in the state,” a BJP leader from Delhi looking after Bengal politics told this correspondent.
The Panchayat elections in West Bengal would take place sometime in March and April next year and the BJP is hoping to put up a tough tight, unlike the municipal elections where the BJP could not even garner 10% vote share and was left behind the CPM who occupied the second position.