Internal party assessments and political analysts suggest that the TMC continues to enjoy a clear advantage.
BJP leaders strategise ahead of West Bengal Assembly elections, with focus on candidate winnability and organisational discipline (Photo: X)
NEW DELHI: The forthcoming West Bengal Assembly elections are shaping up to be a major organisational and political trial for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Its newly appointed working president, Nitin Nabin has his work cut out. The challenge is to operate within a limited timeframe while drawing lessons from the party’s earlier experiences in the state.
It remains uncertain whether a stricter emphasis on winnability in ticket allocation can alter the prevailing political narrative. Internal party assessments and independent political analyses suggest that the TMC continues to enjoy a clear advantage. Senior BJP figures concede that overturning this position would demand near-perfect execution, particularly in candidate selection and campaign strategy.
A political analyst closely observing West Bengal politics told The Sunday Guardian that the state continues to be one of the BJP’s most challenging electoral landscapes.
Despite sustained efforts over the past decade, the party has yet to form a government. The analyst noted that while the BJP’s tally of 77 seats in the 2021 Assembly elections represented a sharp increase of 74 seats over its previous performance, post-election evaluations within the party concluded that the results did not meet internal expectations.
According to the analyst, flaws in ticket distribution were a major factor in the party’s underperformance, with winnability often compromised by financial considerations, personal endorsements, and factional pressures. Senior leaders involved in the ticket-ing process, including Madhya Pradesh-based Kailash Vijayvargiya, reportedly stayed away from the state following the results amid resentment from party workers, who accused them of sidelining stronger candidates. Vijayvargiya and other leaders associated with the process have not returned to the state even four years after the elections.
Within the BJP, the episode continues to be cited as a warning against overly centralised organisational decision-making, which many believe directly undermined electoral outcomes. The analyst also flagged concerns regarding campaign expenditure, noting that although the party allocates substantial funds to candidates, internal reviews from the previous elections indicated that many candidates spent only 20 to 30 per cent of the sanctioned amount on campaigning, holding back the rest for personal security.
A source within the West Bengal BJP said that similar patterns are once again becoming visible as the elections draw closer, with less than four months remaining. Individuals viewed as weak candidates are allegedly seeking tickets through hospitality, gifts, and cultivating proximity to certain leaders. Party functionaries caution against these tendencies.
