BJP brings out its big guns for West Bengal Assembly elections, sets up team to oversee campaign

Ahead of the Assembly elections in West Bengal next year, the BJP has decided to field its battle-tested Central leaders in the state.

BJP insiders said that during a crucial organisational meeting on Tuesday in Kolkata, it was decided that the state would be divided in five organisational zones, each looked by a Central leader with proven track record of successfully conducting elections in other states.

Sources said that while Sunil Deodhar would look after the Medinipur zone, the Rarh Bongo zone would be looked after by Vinod Sonkar. BJP’s national general secretary Harish Dwivedi would look after the North Bengal zone. The Kolkata Zone would be led by national general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam and Vinod Taorey would be incharge of the Nabadwip zone. Apart from the five Central leaders BJP’s national general secretary (organisation) B L Santosh would also spend extra time on Bengal, sources said.

Deodhar played a key role in ending the Left Front rule Tripura. Gautam contributed significantly in BJP’s success in Madhya Pradesh. Sonkar successfully manged BJP’s organisation during elections in Uttar Pradesh.

“Nearly 50 Central leaders will be in Bengal to ensure BJP’s success in the 2021 Assembly elections,” a senior state BJP leader said. He also said that the districts where there was high possibility of BJP’s success would also be headed by Central leaders.

The Central leaders in charge of the five organisational zones would hold meetings with the leadership in each district and submit status reports to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. BJP insiders said that after receiving the report Shah might once again visit Bengal by the end of November.

BJP was also keen on ensuring its edge on social media over the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and sent its national IT Cell in-charge Amit Malviya as a co-observer in Bengal. He would also head the state BJP’s IT Cell.

“A time bound list of agitations on specific issues have been prepared during the meeting. The agitations will continue till December for now,” said BJP state president Dilip Ghosh.