BJP turns to North Bengal for people-centric manifesto inputs

Describing North Bengal as “strategically more important than Kolkata,” senior BJP leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta on Tuesday underscored the region’s crucial role in the party’s electoral roadmap for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Addressing a consultative meeting on the preparation of the BJP’s Sankalp Patra (manifesto) in Siliguri, Dr Dasgupta said the party had deliberately chosen to engage directly with citizens rather than draft the manifesto from Kolkata. “We could have prepared the manifesto sitting in Kolkata, but we are here to listen to people from different walks of life so that their concerns and aspirations are reflected,” he said.

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Emphasising the political stakes, he added: “This election is not about becoming the Opposition. It is about forming the government, and North Bengal has a decisive role to play.”

The meeting was attended by BJP leaders including Dr Anirban Nandi, Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, and Alipurduar MP Manoj Tigga. Around 200 participants representing various organisations and sections of society submitted their suggestions in writing.

Dr Nandi, citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighted the Centre’s developmental initiatives in West Bengal despite alleged non-cooperation from the state government. “We want to form the government here to demonstrate the benefits of a double-engine government,” he said. He also added that the party aims to form a government in the state in memory of Syama Prasad Mookerjee.

According to Mr Bista, the meeting brought together youth groups, social organisations, NGOs, businessmen, professionals, intellectuals, and sportspersons from the Darjeeling Hills, Terai, and Dooars. Participants shared views on key issues such as employment generation, industrial growth, MSME and startup support, education, healthcare, women and youth empowerment, sports, infrastructure, and political justice.

A recurring concern among participants was the demand for a corruption-free, violence-free, and extortion-free West Bengal.

Mr Bista said the inputs gathered would help shape a “forward-looking, actionable, and people-centric” manifesto. He added that the BJP’s approach departs from a top-down process, aiming instead to reflect the aspirations and concerns of people across the state.