Once poised to sweep Trinamool Congress from its perch of ruling party in West Bengal, the state unit of BJP appears to be a pale shadow of itself. Even after Samik Bhattacharya replaced Sukanta Majumdar as state unit chief, the former. continues to be a divided house .
The reasons which have led to the dismal state of West Bengal unit of the saffron. outfit are not difficult to decipher. It is plagued by organisational ills which Bhattacharya cannot put an end to till date.
The timespan after the declaration of the results of 2019 Lok Sabha elections was the finest hour so far for BJP’s West Bengal unit. With 18 MPs in its kitty, it appeared to be ready for replacing TMC dispensation in 2021 Assembly elections having a lead in more than 120 Assembly segments.
It did not perform too badly securing 77 Assembly constituencies which was preceded by a flock of Trinamool Congress including Suvendu Adhikari and other leaders switching loyalty to the saffron camp .But Ghosh, whose organisational skills has made BJP the principal Opposition party in the state Assembly stepped down as the state chief in keeping with organisational rules.
The tug of war between the veterans and newcomers set in after Adhikari being
made the leader of the Opposition.Matters worsened after Majumdar seeking to place his loyalists in key posts removed Ghosh’s followers.
Things are going downhill for the state BJP ever since. Infighting in it came to such a pass before 2025 Lok Sabha elections that Ghosh was shifted from his winning constituency in Midnapur. He contested from Burdwan-Durgapur where he lost.
Now after much soul searching, as the.new state chief Samik Bhattacharya is trying to bring in a semblance of discipline in the state unit, he is finding the old problem propping up. The speakers who shared the dias with Prime Minister Narendra Modi he recently addressed in Dum Dum present a case in point
While Ghosh, the most successful state chief till date did not receive an invite, former Trinamool MP and Bhatpara strongman Arjun Singh was one of the speakers. Not too long ago, Singh had been one of the closest aides of Mamata Banerjee.
A peeved Ghosh later said that he had once trained his guns on some of those present on the podium at the Dum Dum rally. Sources in the BJP said that he had referred to Singh and Tapas Roy, both of whom have crossed over from Trinamool Congress. ..
Ghosh gave a curious twist to the existing state of affairs when he visited the newly built Jagannath temple with his newly wed wife. The visit marked the culmination of an invitation from chief minister, Mamata Banerjee.
Bhattacharya and Adhikari were placed in a sticky wicket post the temple visit. Things were made all the more difficult for them as the newly married couple had a long conversation with the chief minister.
Meanwhile, though the new state BJP chief made conciliatory noises at Ghosh, the former’s efforts to tone up the party organisation is progressing by fits and starts. The booth committees are yet to be set up.
This is of key importance. For it is the functionaries at the polling booths decide a candidate’s electoral fortune
Plans have been drawn up to get in touch with highrise residents to shed their reluctance to vote on the polling day. But it is still on paper.
A closed down party office at Harish Chatterjee Street near the Trinamool supremo Banerjee’s residence remains a symbol of inertia in tbe state saffron unit. Directionlessness seems to have enveloped the state BJP notwithstanding a new man at the helm.
Even as BJP nurses it’s inaction in West Bengal, the Trinamool has seized this opportunity to make inroads in north Bengal, considered the strongest base of the saffron camp in the state. The TMC has made sweeping organisational changes in both Alupurduar and Jalpaiguri with an eye on the 2026 elections.
If state BJP leadership is unmindful of protecting it’s bastion, its intra-party show no sign of going away. Bengalis have been outnumbered by non-Bengalis in north Kolkata district committee of the party.
Apparently a minor matter for a national party, it is a tip of the iceberg of being dubbed the Burrabazar Janata Party instead of its actual. Name Burrabazar, the hub of trading in eastern India has long been a Jan Sangh and later a BJP bastion, a fact which has been a big hurdle in expanding its organisation in areas where Bengalis predominate.
Even Mithun Chakraborty, the ageing superstar who has campaigned for the BJP in successive elections has taken note of the intra-party squabbles. Warring groups of the party had clashed before him.
In sum, Samik Bhattacharya’s position is akin to a captain of a ship with an unruly crew. The 2026 Assembly polls is inching closer.
Bhattacharya may put up a brave face claiming the state unit is in ship shape. It is an open invitation for the Trinamool for a cake walk in next year’s Assembly polls given the string of its victories in the by polls post 2024 Lok Sabha polls together with continuance of Bhattacharya’s inability to set his house in order,
