As Bihar goes to polls, BJP shifts its focus to West Bengal

The BJP, a strong contender in the Bihar elections, has already moved its campaign trail to West Bengal, the next state which goes to polls in 2021.

Union home minister Amit Shah is slated to visit Bankura on Thursday (November 5) and Kolkata on Friday (November 6) to take stock of the BJP’s organisational structure ahead of the polls in April-May.

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While the BJP made in-roads in Bengal’s northern part and its tribal pockets in the Lok Sabha elections last year, Shah will reportedly look at strengthening the state’s organisational zones at Rarh (south-west), Nabadwip, Hoogly-Midnapore and Kolkata.

The party had bagged 18 of the 42 seats Lok Sabha seats from the state last year. Twelve of the seats belonged to north Bengal and tribal areas.

Shah’s visit also comes in the backdrop of a brewing discontentment in the party after senior leader Rahul Sinha was dropped as national secretary and Trinamool Congress leaders Mukul Roy and Anupam Hazra were inducted in key posts.

BJP president JP Nadda was also slated to visit the state next week to preside over party meetings in Bardhaman and Medinipur, but his visit has been cancelled.

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A report in The Economic Times quoting BJP Bengal vice-president Jai Prakash Majumdar said, among the issues that Shah will discuss is the increasing political violence. He alleged 18 people have died and 110 party workers have been killed by the Trinamool Congress or during police action in the last three weeks.