Bengal BJP’s Durga Puja strategy faces major setback

Bengal BJP’s public outreach strategy of increasing its influence among Durga Puja committees in West Bengal has faced a major setback. Party sources revealed that out of the around 2500 Durga Pujas in the city, only seven have approached the saffron party urging that its leaders inaugurate these pujas.

“So far we have received seven requests from puja committees for the inauguration. We don’t want to reveal the names of these Puja Committees because then the Trinamool Congress (TMC) will pressurize them,” a senior state BJP leader said.

The state BJP leadership faced further embarrassment as even from the adjoining areas of Kolkata such as Sonarpur, Barupur, Dum Dum - mostly located in North and South 24 Paraganas district - they have received requests for inauguration from only 50 Durga Puja committees. According to sources in the state administration, about 10,000 Durga Pujas are held in these areas. This has left the state BJP leadership red-faced.

However, the state BJP leadership has argued that Durga Puja committees are now maintaining a distance from them due to pressure from the TMC. The ruling party in the state was startled when state BJP General Secretary Sayantan Basu became the secretary of the Sanghasree Puja Committee in the Kalighat area of South Kolkata which is the neighborhood of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. However, the TMC soon regained control of the Puja Committee after it was dissolved and reformed without Basu.

According to BJP sources, among the party leaders, State BJP President Dilip Ghosh has received the highest number of requests for inauguration from Durga Puja committees. Out of the 57 requests for inauguration from Kolkata and adjoining areas, 30 puja committees have sought the state president for the purpose.

“However, the state president will inaugurate only seven Durga Pujas. As for the rest, they will be inaugurated by other party leaders depending on the stature of these Durga Pujas,” said a senior state BJP leader.

Since June, the Bengal BJP has been trying to increase its influence among the Durga Puja committees not only to take on the TMC on the cultural front but also to counter West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s charge of being “anti-Bengali.” But for now, it seems that their efforts have yielded dismal results.