By Tirthankar Mitra
KOLKATA: The West Bengal BJP has tied itself up in knots after its tally in 2024 Lok Sabha elections came down to 12 from the figure of 18 won in 2019 elections. Intra-party recriminations have taken place and are going to be followed by change at the top though it is likely to be arranged in a manner to look like a reshuffle rather than an ignominious removal.
The responsibility for the poll reverse ought to have been laid at the door of state unit chief, Sukanta Majumdar. But with Majumdar being inducted in the Central Cabinet and a “one man, one post” system prevailing in the party, his removal will be stated as “routine”. The next state BJP chief is likely to be Ranaghat MP, Jagannath Sarkar, stated party sources.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s prediction that West Bengal unit of the party will post best election results, the Lok Sabha reverse is all the more humiliating for the state saffron camp. But sources point out that Majumdar is being made a scapegoat for the loss of six seats and consequent dwindling of the vote share.
Majumdar, some of the leaders felt, was a victim of “back seat driving” syndrome. The steering wheel of the organisational vehicle of the state saffron camp was not in Majumdar’s hands .it was the leader of the Opposition, Subhendu Adhikari who navigated the path and progress of the election campaign.
Adhikari who switched loyalty from TMC to BJP before 2021 Assembly elections and defeated chief minister, Mamata Banerjee by a wafer thin margin at Nandigram had jockeyed himself in a position of greater influence in BJP vis-à-vis Majumdar. Though Majumdar outranked Adhikari in state BJP, the latter called the shots in the elections given his equation with the national leadership, especially union home minister Amit Shah.
The shifting of former state unit chief, Dilip Ghosh to Durgapur-Burdwan and parachuting party MLA and fashion designer Agnimitra Paul in Ghosh’s previous constituency Midnapur led to the loss of both the seats. If Ghosh ‘s shifting can be stated to be a fallout of intra-party squabble, Majumdar would be hauled up for it as state party chief.
The name of Jagannath Sarkar, the Ranaghat MP is doing the rounds as Majumdar’s replacement as he is far more experienced in organisational as well as intra-party matters. While Majumdar is an academic, Sarkar had once headed BJP’s Nadia district unit and less unlikely to buy “other’s ideas” in organisational matters when 2026 Assembly election draws near.
Though Adhikari is not going to be replaced now, given the dismal poll performance, 15 out of 43 organisational district heads are going to lose their posts, sources stated. The focus will primarily be on revamping the district units upto the mandal levels.
These areas include Hooghly, Howrah, South-24-Parganas, Midnapur (West), Jhargram, Bankura and Burdwan. More effort to reach out to the people has been reported to be lacking in Bhowanipore, chief minister, Mamata Banerjee’s Assembly segment.
Many of the booth committees are likely to be restructured. Many veteran BJP activists had stayed away from the poll process and the leadership will pull out all stops to bring them back from their self-imposed retirement.
Their “staying away” led to “optimistic booth reports” being sent to the central leadership which drew positive conclusions about poll results which were actually wide off the mark. There was insufficient grass root voter outreach in the meetings of the central leaders, sources stated.
Even as a section of the saffron party organisation is about to throw up their hands in despair, some of the leaders claim that most of its Hindu vote bank remains intact. But such claims do not stand up as in many Hindu dominated areas, BJP supporters are deserting the party and joining TMC.
The BJP leadership in the state is yet to find out an individual who has the charisma to match up to that of chief minister and TMC supremo, Mamata Banerjee. The party review has acknowledged that social security schemes like Lakshmir Bhander, Kanyashree and Swastha Sathi have benefited TMC in polls and BJP’s campaign for better schemes had few takers.
For all its promises and pointing out the shortcomings of the TMC government, the BJP has failed to project itself as an alternative to Trinamool owing to lack of mass connect. The credibility gap has to be acknowledged, a senior leader admitted on condition of anonymity.
The state BJP is on the threshold of a change. It remains to be seen whether such change can help it to shed its shortcomings or it just emerges with window dressing before the 2026 Assembly polls. (IPA Service)
