Bihar priority as Amit Shah's postpones West Bengal visit

KOLKATA: Union Home minister Amit Shah postponed his visit to West Bengal before Durga Puja due to his tight schedule and visit to poll-bound Bihar, said BJP sources in Kolkata. He is expected to come to the state after Ram Navami to hold organizational meetings with the party’s functionaries in north Bengal.

"Party’s national president JP Nadda will visit Bengal on October 19 and he will chair the meeting in north Bengal," said a BJP leader.

Shah’s visit to poll-bound West Bengal was said to be significant as he did not fly to the state since Covid-19 pandemic and the recent internal rift among the party functionaries surfaced and the national leadership had to intervene.

"Nadda will hold a meeting with karyakartas, including those who work in booth-level. He will also give us a roadmap to continue the pace that we achieved in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in north Bengal by bagging seven out of 8 seats in the region,’’ said the leader.

Sources in the BJP said Shah would not hold meetings in north Bengal. "He is expected to visit Kolkata after Ram Navami. He will chair a series of meetings in the state capital and give us a guideline to reach out the electorates. Since the state will go to the polls after five months, Shah’s visit is very important in the run up to the crucial next year’s election,’’