BJP to go aggressive in West Bengal to woo voters

New Delhi: The BJP has decided to go “all aggressive” in Mamata Banerjee ruled West Bengal where it claims to have lost nearly 20 activists to the “political killing” unleashed by the ruling TMC over the recently concluded panchayat polls. 

The saffron party emerged as the main rival to the ruling TMC in these panchayat polls, which the party feels is a major morale booster for its cadre. The BJP accused the TMC of surpassing “the violent legacy of the Communist rule” in the state after two of its workers were killed allegedly by the TMC this week for supporting the BJP in Purulia, one of the regions where the party gained significantly in the elections.

BJP president Amit Shah has called a meeting of senior party leaders from the state in the coming days to finalise the strategy, which would also involve holding marches, rallies, mobilisation of youth, intellectuals and visit of senior leaders, including Union ministers, to the state to highlight how the “culturally and intellectually rich state has been facing the consequences of TMC’s votebank politics.” The saffron party claims that its presence is now at almost 70 per cent of the nearly 50,000 booths across the state, which is an indication of growing support for it in the West Bengal where its organisational strength was minimal before 2014. 

While the BJP accuses the TMC of appeasement politics, the former is blamed by Ms Banerjee and her party of trying to implement its own Hindutva agenda. 

The RSS and its affiliates have been roped in to assist the BJP’s efforts to increase its support base ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, with Sangh Parivar cadre from other states being deployed in West Bengal. Mr Shah had earlier claimed the BJP will win at least 22 of the 44 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal next year.