The BJP launched into introspective mode on Sunday as top state leaders reviewed the party’s performance in the West Bengal panchayat elections. BJP won 22 per cent votes in the polls, which is less than what it won in Lok Sabha elections but more than the 2018 vote share.
The meeting, which had four important aspects and included leaders such as Mangal Pandey and Sunil Bansal, also discussed the alleged violence during the elections as is set to raise the issue as a national campaign.
Amit Shah to Visit in August
Party sources said all leaders and cadre have been asked to focus on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls now. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to visit Bengal in August. Sukanto Majumdar, BJP’s state president, earlier met Shah in Delhi and submitted his report on the poll performance.
Support Post-Poll Violence Victims
In 2021, BJP went to court and ensured a CBI investigation into the post-poll violence. However, there were allegations that party leaders did not stand by victims and hence, this time sources say most of the top brass is travelling to meet and understand the grievances of the people.
Felicitating Winning Candidate
Party sources said it was not easy to win any seat in panchayat polls, given the TMC’s “manipulation”. The leaders therefore feel the winning candidates must be felicitated to increase their confidence. Candidates who lost polls will also be recognised for their efforts.
Protest Against Violence
Sources say BJP has planned a mega rally on July 19 with people who were forced to flee their house due to violence during the polls and after the results.
The party has also increased its organisational districts from 42 to 43, with Jadavpur area — which used to fall under south Kolkata — now being considered a separate district.
BJP leaders will keep up the pressure on the state government, stating that law and order is in a bad shape and the Centre’s intervention is required.
After BJP leaders Shantanu Thakur and Sukanto Majumdar hinted that the Bengal government might fall, the TMC reacted strongly and tweeted: “Today, @DrSukantaBJP made suggestive remarks implying that the Government of West Bengal could collapse at any time, and MLAs might consider supporting someone else. His comments reek of a nefarious plot to topple the state government and serves as another indictment of the worrying trend under the BJP regime, that thrives on engineering defections.
“It is now a well-established fact that @BJP4India’s pan-India growth has come on the back of defections and central agencies. A 2020 report by ADR found that since 2014, 405 MLAs defected from their parties, 182 (44.9%) of whom joined BJP. Recently, nine NCP MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government, which was hardly surprising given that @AjitPawarSpeaks, @ChhaganCBhujbal, @praful_patel and @mrhasanmushrif all face money laundering charges and are under the @dir_ed lens. It appears from Sukanta Majumdar’s comments that the BJP is hatching a similarly sinister plan in Bengal.
“The shame and guilt of losing in his own backyard, Dakshin Dinajpur, must be a bitter pill for Sukanta Majumdar to swallow! Facing a humiliating defeat in the Panchayat election, their hateful and divisive politics rejected by the people, the @BJP4Bengal karyakartas have dropped all pretense and are now making no attempts to even conceal their sinister agendas.”
The BJP for now seems to be in election mode and Shah’s visit in August is likely to bolster the morale of the workers further.
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