The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held a crucial strategy meeting with 56 candidates from the Rarh Bangla region of south Bengal in Durgapur on Monday, attended by senior party leadership.
The meeting took place at a hotel in Muchipara, where state president Shamik Bhattacharya, along with central leaders Satish Dhond and Sunil Bansal, was present.
Candidates from Birbhum, Purulia, West Burdwan, Bankura and East Burdwan districts attended the meeting. Sitting MLAs and prominent leaders, including Agnimitra Paul of Asansol South and Jagannath Chatterjee of Suri, were also present.
The BJP convened a key meeting with 56 candidates from the Rarh Bangla region in Durgapur today as part of its strategy for the upcoming Assembly elections, with top leadership in attendance.
Sources said the BJP is focusing on the Rarh Bangla region to improve its performance in the Assembly elections. The party’s new national president, Nitin Nabin, recently addressed meetings in the region during his maiden visit to the state.
While north Bengal remains the BJP’s stronghold, the party organisation in south Bengal is comparatively weaker. The meeting focused on measures to strengthen the organisation in the region over the next month.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won two seats ~ Asansol and Darjeeling ~ though Asansol was secured on the party’s own strength. However, following the exit of Babul Supriyo, the BJP has repeatedly lost the Asansol seat to the Trinamul Congress (TMC) and also lost the Burdwan-Durgapur seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The TMC continues to dominate East Burdwan, while the BJP remains relatively stronger in Bankura and Purulia. The party is now aiming to increase its tally in West Burdwan and Birbhum in the 23 April Assembly polls.
However, dissatisfaction among local party workers over candidate selection has been reported in several constituencies, raising concerns over possible internal discord.