By Tirthankar Mitra
Ruling Trinamool Congress and principal Opposition BJP camps in West Bengal are studies in contrast. Apart from the former being on a winning streak, party supremo Mamata Banerjee has the last word in TMC while dissenting voices are being raised in the state BJP unit seeking a change at the top as well as focusing on the reasons for increase of its loss of its support base.
Ever since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the state saffron unit is going downhill. Having won in 18 constituencies five years ago, its tally of seats has been reduced to 12 in 2024 Lok Sabha polls. There has been marked decrease in its vote share too. Having received 40.25 per cent votes in 2019, this has dropped to 38.73 per cent in 2024 polls.
Small wonder, state BJP chief, Sukanta Majumdar who is part of the Union Cabinet of ministers is in the line of fire. The ministerial portfolio awarded to him had become his bane. His detractors including the former state chiefs Tathagata Roy and Dilip Ghosh have dubbed him a part time state chief. For besides his organisational work, he has to attend to his ministerial responsibilities.
Moreover, Majumdar’s stewardship of the state unit has come under flak following the reduction of seats and the area of influence. And now Trinamool Congress making a clean sweep of the six bypolls and wresting the Madarihat Assembly segment from BJP, have worsened matters for him.
The state BJP appeared to be “shell shocked” after the Lok Sabha elections results and did not chalk out a plan for the bypolls, a senior leader said. The state chief cannot distance himself from this “thoughtless inaction’, he added. The party machinery was not mobilized effectively to retain the Madarihat assembly seat.
Not mincing his words, former state BJP chief, Tathagata Roy stated in “X” that BJP in West Bengal is a tottering house. It is the second party in this state owing to the blind support of a section of Hindus, he added. The latter part of Roy’s contention is to be taken with a pinch of salt. For the saffron party enjoys considerable support among the tribals and similar groups of voters in West Bengal.
Continuing in an acerbic vein, Roy said that state BJP is run by a part-time chief who doubles as a minister of state at the Centre. Roy also pitched for leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari replacing Majumdar as the state chief.
It may be mentioned that state BJP has been a divided house be it riding the crest of electoral success or in the dumps after a slew of poll reverses. Former state chief Dilip Ghosh did not see eye to eye with his predecessor Tathagata Roy. Similarly, both former presidents are dead set against the present president Sukanta Majumdar.
After Ghosh stepped down making way for Majumdar, they had a strained relationship.. Majumdar not only sidelined Ghosh’s followers but sources stated he had a say in Ghosh being shifted from his old Lok Sabha constituency Medinipur and parachuted to Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha seat in 2024 elections where he lost.
Suvendu Adhikari, a former senior Trinamool Congress leader who crossed over to BJP is against Majumdar. Adhikari having defeated TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, he carries weight both in the state unit and with the national leadership.
Be that as it may, several party leaders have expressed lack of faith in Majumdar’s leadership. Majumdar, a senior leader said, has failed to counter the narrative created by Mamata Banerjee that BJP is an anti- Bengali Hindi speaking party.
The recent bypoll results have worsened Majumdar’s case. Apart from the loss of Madarihat, the BJP candidates trailed by a margin of one lakh votes at Haroa in North-24-Parganas and Sitai in Coochbehar. If the margin at Haroa can be laid at the door of it being a minority dominated constituency, this yardstick does not apply for Sitai. As north Bengal has a sizeable BJP support base.
Majumdar who succeeded Ghosh after 2021 Assembly elections, has clearly failed to check the downslide. A combination of clearheaded and unbiased leadership, a senior leader said coupled with booth based work is the ideal way to take on TMC in 2026 Assembly elections. BJP insiders say that the central leadership is wasting time and damaging the cause of BJP in Bengal by delaying the appointment of new state president. There is little time for major organizational revamp since the assembly elections are due in April/ May 2026. Any further delay will be too late and costly. (IPA Service)
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