Infighting makes Amit Shah’s target for West Bengal a long shot

Union Home Minister, BJP's second-in-command Amit Shah had big plans for Bengal when he set a target of 200 seats for BJP in the 2021 Assembly elections in West Bengal.

However, the state BJP, still far away from being the disciplined, regimented organisation it is known for, has put his plans in limbo.

State BJP president Dilip Ghosh’s dislike for dissent and his friction with a section of leaders, especially turncoats from TMC, placed the party in a spot.

Faction feud in the state unit has reached a level where the Central leadership is forced to intervene.

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The feud between Ghosh and Yuva Morcha president Soumitra Khan, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) turncoat, spilt out in public when the state BJP chief recently dissolved all the Yuva Morcha district committees formed by Khan. BJP insiders say that Ghosh was annoyed for not being informed beforehand about the formation of the committees.

BJP sources say that Ghosh was not on cordial terms with another turncoat from TMC Mukul Roy. Recently elevated to the post of national vice president, Roy was being considered as the key strategist against TMC in the upcoming Assembly elections.

The bitterness between the two reportedly reached such a level that the Central leadership advised Ghosh to keep the importance of teamwork and smooth collaboration with all stakeholders in mind.

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Sources say the outspoken state BJP chief was unhappy with the Central leadership’s recent decision of replacing Subrata Chattopadhyay, the state general secretary (organization) with Amitava Chakraborty.

Chattopadhyay was close to Ghosh since their days in the RSS. He met Shah on November 6 during his visit to Bengal and expressed his desire to continue to work for the BJP. However, BJP insiders say that since he was deputed to the party by the RSS, RSS would take a call on the issue.

Shah’s instruction to state leaders to rope in experienced vote managers from other parties, especially the TMC and CPM, had made a section in the state BJP worry that the turncoats might rule the roost sidelining them.