State BJP leaders, including president Dilip Ghosh, have rescheduled their political programmes after the party’s national president Amit Shah decided to hold a meeting with them in Kolkata tentatively on 8 July.

Party sources said that Mr Shah, who is also the home minister, will hold an urgent meeting with selected district and state level leaders to formulate a political strategy to induct new members for the next Assembly elections. Party sources said that the BJP state president, Dilip Ghosh, was scheduled to visit Cooch Behar on 6 July to attend the Natun Sadasya Sangraho Avijan (New membership collection drive). Party observer in Bengal Kailash Vijayvargiya and Darjeeling MP Raju Vista both are also scheduled to visit Siliguri to launch the new party membership drive on 6 July. Party sources said that the BJP plans to win the Assembly elections in Bengal and dislodge the Trinamul Congress, even as other political parties like the Congress and the CPI-M have formulated strategies to prevent the former from making further inroads.

“Our state party president Dilip Ghosh had planned to begin the new membership drive from Cooch Behar for two reasons. The party won the parliamentary seat there, while he had come to Cooch Behar during initial poll campaigning earlier, but he has not been there after the poll results. The state president informed us that he was in no position to visit Cooch Behar on 6 July as our party’s national president will hold a meeting in Kolkata on 8 July,” said Cooch Behar district BJP president, Malati Rava.

On the other hand, Mr Ghosh was scheduled to visit Gazoldoba near Siliguri on his way to Cooch Behar to encourage party workers so that they continue their movement to mobilize more people till the Assembly elections. Sources also said this programme was also cancelled for Amit Shah’s visit

In Siliguri, the BJP has planned to stage a demonstration over several issues, including the alleged scams at the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA), while it had been decided that BJP leader Mukul Roy would lead the agitation.

“Mr Roy will not come here. Other state leaders, including Raju Banerjee, may come to lead the agitation programme,” party sources in the district said.

Political sources said that Mr Shah has agreed to welcome leaders from other parties in his party fold following the theory adopted by Mukul Roy to crush other political parties, mainly the Trinamul Congress.

Mr Ghosh has also admitted that the party needs more leaders in the state to strengthen the vote bank and to dislodge the Trinamul Congress from power.