By Tirthankar Mitra
KOLKATA: Engaged that it is in intra-party squabbles, West Bengal unit of BJP leadership does not appear to be in a mood to pull up its socks for 2026 Assembly elections. Things came to a head during Union home minister Amit Shah’s trip to the state on May 31 and June 1 after BJP leaders claimed closer proximity to him while organisational issues remained unattended. .
The BJP is yet to announce its chief ministerial candidate for West Bengal before the 2026 Assembly elections. And both state party chief Sukanta Majumdar and leader of the Opposition Subhendu Adhikari nurse ambitions to emerge as the BJP alternative to the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee..
The duo are only too aware of Shah’s clout in the party. His aye or nay can make or mar political careers in the saffron camp. Thus there is nothing untoward in claiming to be close to the power centre. After all, Shah happens to be the second most important minister in the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
And a veritable tug of war was on between state party chief and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar and leader of the Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari over the proximity to Shah during his recent tour. Small wonder, when Shah during his speech in the city contended that whenever Adhikari stands up, Didi feels scared, there was much rejoicing in the LoP’s camp.
There was no denying that the leader of the Opposition and his supporters felt the wind is in their sails. And when Shah turned around and looked at Adhikari in an approving smile, it was interpreted to be a bonus point.
Majumdar’s camp followers claim that he was the sole leader from the state to accompany Shah during his flight to Kolkata. It is a pointer to both his proximity to Shah and an indication of the state of things to come.
Adhikari was waiting to welcome Shah at the city airport when his special plane landed. Majumdar accompanying Shah when he was walking towards Adhikari is being touted by Majumdar’s supporters as a sign of greater proximity to the decision makers in the saffron camp.
There is no denying the fact that all eyes in the state saffron camp should be focused on a smile or frown from Shah. But the fact remains even as the state BJP leaders are going out of their way to curry favours with the Union home minister, the state BJP continues to be in a shambles.
The state unit is headless as state BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar has earned a ministerial berth in the Union Cabinet post his victory from Balurghat in 2024 Lok Sabha elections. None has succeeded him and the state unit continued to be directionless. More than a year has gone by since Majumdar’s electoral triumph last year. The party’s national leadership is yet to take a call in this matter.
Meanwhile, after reverses bagging just 18 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the fortunes of the saffron camp continue to be in decline in the state. Its tally of seats reduced to 12 in 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The assembly tall of 77 after the 2021 elections has now come down to less than 70.The formation of booth committees remains unfinished. These committees have a crucial role on the polling day and their absence have led to poll debacle of several saffron nominees.
Of late, BJP has not won in any by-elections in the state. Nor as the principal Opposition outfit in the state it has been at the forefront of the agitations against the ruling dispensation of the state.
Meanwhile, no efforts are discernible to stop the slugfest between the followers of the two leaders. Neither Adhikari nor Majumdar has had a word in this matter. Neither of the duo has restrained his group of supporters who are shouting from the rooftops that their leader is the first among equals in the BJP’s state unit.
During Shah’s latest trip a clutch of programmes were announced to rev up the party organisation in the state. These include propagating the success of Operation Sindoor. Its success has been planned to be spread though Tiranga Yatras. But at the moment, the attention and energy of the rank and file seems to be invested in intra-party squabbles. (IPA Service)
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