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regular-article-logo Tuesday, 30 April 2024

BJP hunts in pack of 2 in Bengal: After poll-plan success, Amit Shah and Nadda troop to city

A BJP source said Shah and Nadda would jointly have a session with the party's core committee members — including state president Sukanta Majumdar, leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, four general secretaries in the state and three observers for the party — for an hour from 12.15pm on Tuesday

Snehamoy Chakraborty Calcutta Published 26.12.23, 08:37 AM
Amit Shah and Nadda

Amit Shah and Nadda PTI file pictures

Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J.P. Nadda will hold at least three organisational meetings in the city on Tuesday with the party's Bengal leadership, social media planners and sympathisers to finetune the BJP's poll strategy in Bengal for the Lok Sabha polls.

Shah and Nadda landed in the city late on Monday night on two different flights and headed to a Rajarhat hotel where they briefly met state leaders.

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On Tuesday, the two BJP heavyweights will visit Gurudwara Bara Sikh Sangat on MG Road and Kalighat temple besides holding strategy sessions with the Bengal unit.

A BJP source said Shah and Nadda would jointly have a session with the party's core committee members — including state president Sukanta Majumdar, leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, four general secretaries in the state and three observers for the party — for an hour from 12.15pm on Tuesday.

The second meeting is scheduled at the National Library, where the duo will meet the party's social media team members, sympathisers and some "eminent personalities of Calcutta" for half an hour from 4.30pm.

The third organisational meeting is scheduled at the same Rajarhat hotel where the party's senior leaders, selected MLAs and MPs will be present.

Then, the two heavyweights will leave Calcutta.

Over the last year or so, the frequency of visits of central BJP leaders to the state has seen a sharp rise, capturing the party's growing interest in Bengal, where the party is confident that it can significantly increase its tally in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from 18 five years ago.

The latest visit of the duo, multiple BJP sources said, however, is different as it captures the central leadership's decision to play a larger role in the party's Bengal affairs.

"It is not usual that two heavyweights, Amit ji and Nadda ji, are coming together to hold organisational meetings in Bengal. This fresh strategy was adopted in the run-up to the recently concluded Assembly polls in five states. We all know the results and that's why central leaders will actively get involved in handling organisational issues and draw up the blueprint on poll strategy," said a source.

As an example, the source referred to how Shah and Nadda held a night-long meeting with senior party functionaries in Rajasthan in September to discuss the poll strategy and finalise the probable list of candidates. "The same strategy has been adopted for Bengal and that's why the duo are here," said the source.

Given the complexity of Bengal's political landscape and the BJP's struggle to navigate internal conflicts, Shah, who set a target of 35 seats in Bengal during a rally in Suri this April, is expected to assess his party's preparedness and issue time-bound directives to the state leadership on Tuesday.

"Amit ji will personally take charge of Bengal, Telangana, Odisha and a few other states where the party is desperate to increase its tally," said a source.

The Trinamul leadership downplayed the visit of the BJP heavyweights.

"Bengal is a good place to roam around during the winter, especially ahead of the New Year. Let the BJP leaders from Delhi enjoy the trip to the City of Joy," said Tapas Roy, Trinamul leader and spokesperson.

Additional reporting by Saibal Gupta

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