KOLKATA: Unhappy with its poor show in Kolkata civic polls, the BJP high command has set the party’s Bengal unit a target of wining two of the five municipal corporations where elections are to be held on January 22. BJP won just three seats out of 143 in the Kolkata civic polls and came third in terms of vote share.
The assignment of securing victory in upcoming civic polls in Asansol and Siliguri corporations was given to the saffron camp’s Bengal leadership in a meeting with BJP’s national president JP Nadda and general secretary (organisation) BL Santosh on Thursday. Nadda and Santosh sought explanation why the party finished behind Left Front in terms of vote share.
“Our national leadership is eyeing victory in Asansol and Siliguri. The party has had MPs from both constituencies in the last two Lok Sabha polls. If we fail to win, it will be a loss of face,’’ said a West Bengal BJP leader.
BJP’s national vice-president Dilip Ghosh and West Bengal president Sukanta Majumdar attended the meeting in New Delhi. Nadda might visit Kolkata in the first week of January. Other than Asansol and Siliguri, elections will be held in civic bodies of Bidhannagar, Chandernagore and Howrah.