KOLKATA: Setting the tone for the crucial 2021 Assembly elections, the BJP brass summoned its Bengal functionaries at its headquarters to discuss how to maintain the pace of the party’s inroads into the Trinamool Congress’s citadel.
A 25-member delegation, including the MPs, left for Delhi on Wednesday, said BJP sources.
The party high-command asked the Bengal chapter to brief it about activities carried out during pre-and post-lockdown phases and how the party acted to highlight the issues such as the TMC’s corruption in delivering Amphan compensation and failure to combat Covid-19 pandemic, said a BJP leader.
BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said he and other state committee functionaries and heads of the party’s different wings would be in Delhi for four-five days.
“Our national leadership could not visit Bengal since the lockdown was announced in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic. We are not in a position to hold rallies and carry out public relation activities since past few months. The party high-command wants to ascertain Bengal’s present political scenario and this is why we have been summoned to Delhi,” he said.
Eyeing the 2021 Assembly elections, BJP national president JP Nadda had sounded the poll bugle in Bengal through a virtual rally in which he appealed the people to bring back the glory of the eastern state by overthrowing the Trinamool Congress government.
Boosted by the party’s impressive performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in which it won 18 seats, the saffron camp has decided to go all out to wrest power in the next year’s state polls.
“Shah and other observers of the party will hold dialogues with all MPs individually on virtual platforms. He wants to gather grass-root level details of the party’s activities before and after the lockdown phases,” said another BJP leader.
Sources in the BJP said the central leadership would guide its Bengal functionaries about what would be the other issues to be highlighted before the Assembly elections apart from than the amended Citizenship Act and the National Register of Citizens.
Changes likely in TMC district setup
TMC boss Mamata Banerjee will hold a series of organisational meetings on Thursday.
A rejig is expected in the Trinamool ground-level hierarchy ahead of the Assembly elections.
Sources said Mamata might change the party heads in the districts where Trinamool failed to performed impressively in its turf.