Nirmalya Mukherjee
Why is Midnapore important to BJP? What does it indicate? Will Bengal have its new chief minister from this district?
BJP’s state president Dilip Ghosh is an MP from Kharagpur (west Midnapore). The party’s prime catch Suvendu Adhikary is from Contai-Tamluk (east Midnapore).
BJP, however, has decided to go `faceless’ in the state elections although there are a few names doing the rounds – the frontrunners being Dilip and Suvendu. Dilip is non-scam tainted person. Suvendu has pending CBI and ED cases against him.
BJP’s recent kohinoor collection from TMC, the veritable ‘Mr Clean’ Rajiv Bandyopdhyay, an ex-Xaverian and a management graduate is also a prominent face alongside Asansol MP and singer Babool Supriyo.
Rajiv today raised the slogan of `slogan ektai, cholun paltai’, There is only one slogan `come, let us change’ the TMC government in the state.
Former India captain and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly’s name has now taken a back seat as Sourav is unwell with heart problems. BJP’s organisation man Mukul Roy is another contender for the CM’s post.
Sources said, even after all this BJP may spring a surprise by selecting a new face among women leaders of the party. For the moment, it is any body’s guess within and outside the party for the CM’s post, if at all it wins the Bengal elections.
East Midnapore is the now the party’s chosen venue for all major BJP campaigns while Kolkata is left in the lurch. Even BJP president J P Nadda has kicked off campaigns from Burdwan and Nadia. Then could it be that BJP is not confident for Kolkata seats.
As of now BJP’s campaign in Kolkata is limited to Sovan Chatterjee the former TMC mayor and Kailash Vijayvargiya, the party’s central leader in charge of West Bengal affairs.
BJP’s star campaigners Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah kicked off their campaigns from this district.
East Midnapore has 33 seats in the state assembly as against Kolkata’s 11. In 2019 Lok Sabha polls Kolkata was their chosen venue.
BJP’s prize-catch the `Adhikary family’ belongs East Midnapore.
Mr Modi today flagged off the party’s campaign for Bengal polls at Haldia by calling the state chief minister ‘Mamata Banerjee’ as ‘Nirmomota’ or ‘cruel’. Mamata means `affectionate’.
Quite unprecedented this is his second visit to the state within a span of 15 days, the last being on 23rd January in Kolkata to attend Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s 125th birthday celebrations as part of a government programme organised by the Ministry of Culture.
Amit Shah is scheduled to visit the state next week and J P Nadda has already conducted `proiborton yatras’ in Nadia yesterday.
TMC MP Saugata Roy countered it as `Noradhom Modi’ and said that the Prime Minister was a `liar’ and a `poseur’, who only makes promises to break.
Modi stressed on a `double engine’ BJP government at the Centre and state in 2021. Modi accused Mamata for misusing Ampan relief funds and blocking farmers income. He promised Kisan Nidhi for all farmers of Bengal once BJP comes to power.
He attended a programme organised by the Petroleum Ministry where he promised to convert Haldia into a foremost industrial hub.
Disclaimer
This news article is prepared or accomplished by Nirmalya Mukherjee in his personal capacity. The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of kolkatatoday.com
Bengali