West Bengal BJP’s flip flop over civic polls exposes weak organisation

West Bengal BJP’s organisational weakness has once again come to the fore with the state BJP leadership’s flip flop over postponing the upcoming municipal elections.

Senior state BJP leaders have made several contradictory remarks over the issue. Considered as the “semi-final” to the 2021 Assembly elections the Municipal elections are expected to be held between April 15 and 26. More than 100 municipalities covering 60% area of the state will go to polls.

State BJP president Dilip Ghosh on Wednesday said that his party wants the municipal elections to be deferred as it is coinciding with the state board examinations during which no loudspeakers will be allowed in campaigning.

“We have urged the State Election Commission to hold the municipal elections after the state board examinations are over. If the civic polls coincide with the state board examinations no party will be able to conduct proper campaigning,” state Ghosh.

The secondary state board examinations which started on February 18 will end on February 27. The higher secondary state board examination will take place between March 12 to 27.

However, within days he made a U-turn from his earlier statement and said that his party has never demanded that the municipal elections be deferred.

“We have never demanded that the Municipal elections be deferred. We are ready to face the polls. It is the Trinamool Congress (TMC) who wants to defer the civic polls as they are afraid of BJP’s rise in Bengal,” said Ghosh.

However, sources in the state BJP revealed a different picture. They said that currently, BJP’s organisations in most of the urban, municipal areas of the state are not in a good condition which has become a cause of concern for the state leadership.

The state unit of the saffron party also seems to be confused about which strategy to adopt in the civic polls. While a section of state BJP leaders are keen on contesting the polls by highlighting “ TMC’s misrule” ad development issues another section of state leaders are leaning towards polarising tactics and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

“If this goes on then the civic polls will turn out to be a major embarrassment for us,” a senior state BJP leader said.