For Assam and Bengal polls, BJP considers ‘Bihar model’

Fresh from Bihar victory, the BJP has now turned focus on the next set of important poll-bound states — West Bengal, Assam, and Tamil Nadu — and in this connection, BJP president JP Nadda is hosting a dinner meeting on Wednesday to felicitate all BJP leaders who played a key role in the elections.

The meeting aims to celebrate BJP’s Bihar victory and acknowledge the contributions of these leaders, in turn strengthening organisational preparedness for upcoming assembly elections in the aforementioned states, according to sources.

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Drawing confidence from the ‘Bihar model’ — a multi-layered strategy of caste arithmetic blended with populist welfare schemes focussed on women, strong alliance management and a sprinkling of religion — was the key to the decisive win that the saffron leadership believes can be replicated in party campaigns in states like West Bengal and Assam.

In fact, a large part of the credit for the victory in Bihar goes to the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, which saw Rs 10,000 deposited in the accounts of 1.5 crore women during the polls and is considered one of the reasons for NDA’s clean sweep in the state. It is said to belong to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, according to NDA leaders

The gathering at Nadda’s place will include the leaders who shaped the Bihar campaign —including Home Minister Amit Shah, Bihar election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, and state in-charge Vinod Tawde. More than 50 MPs and senior leaders deployed during the Bihar campaign are also expected to attend the meeting, and the buzz is Prime Minister Narendra Modi may also join, but that is not confirmed.

Leaders associated with the Bihar campaign will share their on-ground experiences and strategic insights, which can be used in shaping future poll strategies. The core agenda is to conduct a detailed review of the Bihar campaign, identify strategies that proved most effective, and chart out a roadmap to implement them in West Bengal and Assam — states where BJP has high hopes and tough opponents.

In Bihar, the BJP conducted detailed caste assessments for all seats, ensuring candidates aligned with caste dynamics and maintained crucial Dalit votes within the NDA. Infrastructure projects were complemented by immediate relief measures, especially to women, while the party’s organisational structure, booth-level micro-targeting, and the central leadership complemented ground-level campaigns. Social coalition building among non-Yadav OBCs, EBCs, Mahadalits, and women voters expanded its vote base in the strategy that also included ignoring opposition campaigns to avoid giving them visibility, and messaging focused on development, nationalism, and governance.

According to sources, the top leadership wants booth management, social outreach, and grassroots mobilisation — the three pillars of the BJP’s success in Bihar — to be executed with greater intensity in the eastern states. For West Bengal, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav has been appointed the poll in-charge and the state divided into five strategic zones, each overseen by an organisational general secretary with additional reinforcements for all different regions.