BJP reunites old guards in Bengal ahead of Shah visit

Ahead of the visit of Union home minister Amit Shah later this month, the West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday held a “reunion” of its old and sidelined leaders, signalling an attempt by the central leadership to consolidate the organisation before the 2026 Assembly elections.

The meeting, organised at the auditorium of the National Library on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, brought together several veteran leaders who had either faded from prominence or were dropped from organisational roles in recent years. The programme, described in the invitation as a “special relationship campaign”, was attended by central leader Sunil Bansal, state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya and Leader of Opposition in Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari. National Executive member and actor Mithun Chakraborty was also present. Party sources said the initiative was taken on the instructions of Mr Bansal and Mr Bhattacharya, with the clear objective of reactivating experienced leaders and former functionaries ahead of the crucial 2026 polls.

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Former BJP candidates from the 2021 Assembly elections, ex-state committee office-bearers and former district presidents were invited. The programme began with a lunch, followed by the closed-door meeting. However, the absence of former state BJP president Dilip Ghosh became the most discussed aspect of the event. Despite the focus on bringing back “old faces”, Mr Ghosh was not invited, even as some leaders considered close to his camp — including Raju Banerjee and Ritesh Tewari — were present. This has triggered murmurs within a section of the party’s old guard, with questions being raised over the selective nature of the outreach.

Addressing the gathering, attended by around 1,500 leaders today, Mr Adhikari struck an aggressive political note. Referring to movements before 2011, he said change had once been possible through mass struggles, citing his role in the Nandigram agitation alongside martyr families. He alleged that the Trinamul Congress government, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was “far more dangerous” and asserted that the BJP must work collectively to oust it in the 2026 Assembly elections.

The reunion comes amid intense speculation over the formation of a new state BJP committee. Mr Bhattacharya has already submitted the final list of proposed names to the central leadership in New Delhi. While rumours suggest the announcement could coincide with Mr Shah’s visit, party sources indicated that the new committee is more likely to be declared after his tour, to carefully manage discontent among those who may be dropped.

Mr Shah is scheduled to arrive in Kolkata on the night of 29 December and will attend several organisational programmes on 30 and 31 December. In a novel outreach move, the BJP Yuva Morcha plans a massive bike rally of 4,000-5,000 motorcycles accompanying the Home Minister’s convoy across Kolkata, North and South 24-Parganas and Howrah.