With the heat of the forthcoming Assembly elections steadily rising, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has intensified its political engagements in the state. Amid indications that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally at the Brigade Parade Ground in March, Union home minister Amit Shah is set to visit Bengal again later this month.
According to party sources, Mr Shah will arrive in the state on 18 February for a daylong visit, during which he is scheduled to attend a major religious programme at the ISKCON temple in Mayapur, Nadia district. The visit comes at a time when the BJP has virtually made Bengal its principal electoral focus, with central leaders stepping up their outreach efforts ahead of the Assembly polls. Mr Modi has already addressed public meetings in both north and south Bengal in recent weeks.
Mr Shah, too, was in the state a few days ago to attend party programmes in Barrackpore and Siliguri. Within BJP circles, there were speculations that the Union home minister would visit the ISKCON headquarters in Mayapur during his next tour. Party sources have now confirmed that the visit is part of his itinerary.
Shah is slated to participate in the 152 birth anniversary celebrations of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur at the ISKCON Mayapur temple complex. The occasion is expected to draw a large gathering of devotees and religious leaders.
Tentatively, Mr Shah will land at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata around 2 p.m. on 18 February. From there, he is scheduled to travel to Mayapur by an Army helicopter, which will land at a temporary helipad set up for the visit. After landing, the Union home minister will proceed by road to the ISKCON temple complex. He is expected to first visit the Shankh Bhavan, followed by Padma Bhavan within the premises. Detailed security arrangements are being put in place in view of the high-profile visit.
Political observers note that the visit to a prominent religious centre assumes significance in the larger electoral context, as the BJP continues to combine political mobilisation with outreach to religious and cultural institutions in the state.