BJP grappling with shrinking vote base in West Bengal amid inside bickerings

By PTI

KOLKATA: A 12 months after its drubbing in meeting polls, the West Bengal unit of the BJP is struggling to carry its flock collectively amid the slide in its vote share, as mirrored within the sequence of electoral losses since then.

The state unit of the saffron camp, which has been experiencing churnings because the change of guard late final 12 months, continues to be licking its wounds from the meeting ballot defeat, with a number of leaders voicing considerations or elevating complaints over the state management’s type of functioning.

As efforts made by the highest brass to unite the state BJP unit appeared to have hit the wall, all eyes at the moment are on the probably go to of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who throughout his tenure because the social gathering’s nationwide president was instrumental in creating its inroads into Bengal.

“Whatever has been happening is unfortunate. It has led to an uncomfortable situation for all of us. The party leadership is looking into it, trying to resolve all problems,” BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya informed PTI.

ALSO READ: Experienced leaders shouldn’t be sidelined, says Dilip Ghosh to West Bengal BJP chief

The social gathering, which had been grappling with reverse exodus because the meeting ballot debacle with high leaders and legislators, together with Babul Supriyo and Mukul Roy, switching over to the TMC, is now suffering from inside riot whilst state unit chief Sukanta Majumdar urged members to method him with grievances as an alternative of talking to mediapersons.

BJP nationwide secretary Anupam Hazra, who had just lately known as for introspection inside the social gathering, informed PTI, “There are complaints against those in charge of the state’s organisation. The leadership here is not functioning democratically and trying to sideline experienced leaders. The new state president, too, is unable to handle the situation.”

In the same vein, a BJP state basic secretary, who didn’t want to be named, mentioned, “If you don’t find out and acknowledge the disease, how will you treat it? To pretend everything is all right when it is not is like living in fool’s paradise.”

The slide in vote share that started with Bhabanipur bypolls — from 35 per cent in May 2021 to 22 per cent in October final 12 months — has continued unabated since then.

ALSO READ: More depart Bengal BJP in aftermath of bypoll setbacks

In Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls, held final December, the social gathering managed to get 20 per cent vote share — down from 29 per cent that it had bagged within the civic body-administered areas throughout meeting elections.

Two months later, throughout elections to 108 different civic our bodies, the BJP managed to garner simply 12.57 per cent of votes and did not clinch any municipality.

In final 12 months’s meeting polls, the social gathering had pocketed almost 36 per cent votes in these areas.

The latest by-polls to the Asansol Lok Sabha seat, which was snatched away by the TMC, and the Ballygunge meeting seat, the place the Left Front emerged as the primary runner-up, solely added to the BJP’s downswing in Bengal.

According to saffron camp sources, the inner riot that had brewing because the state ballot fiasco solely grew stronger after leaders akin to Ritesh Tiwari, Jay Prakash Majumdar and Sayantan Basu have been dropped from the brand new workplace bearers’ panel.

Although the social gathering initially cracked the whip by suspending Majumdar, who was fast to change over to the TMC, and Tiwari, it did not stem the riot.

ALSO READ: Rift in Bengal BJP widening as MP Locket Chatterjee meets dissident leaders

State BJP sources identified that the shortage of a devoted central observer has additionally augmented the disaster, with BJP nationwide basic secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, who has been answerable for Bengal since 2015, seen nowhere because the meeting ballot defeat.

“Kaliashji doesn’t show any interest in party affairs of Bengal. The state leaders do not know who they should approach for problems,” one other state BJP chief mentioned.

BJP nationwide vice-president Dilip Ghosh, whose tenure because the state unit chief is taken into account essentially the most profitable one, too, has taken a dig at his successor Sukanta Majumdar “over his inexperience” in managing the social gathering affairs.

Majumdar has declined to touch upon the criticism he’s dealing with.

State vice-president of the saffron social gathering, Rathin Chakraborty, nonetheless, mentioned there are just a few “trivial issues” inside the camp which might be sorted out quickly.

“Whenever a party grows, these issues come with it. All matters would be resolved very soon. The state BJP is a united family,” he informed PTI.

Political analyst Suman Bhattacharya feels that the BJP will not have the ability to arrest its slide because it has “lost the plot”.

“BJP’s growth was inorganic. As it has failed in the assembly polls, the slide that started will continue. Till the time the party can boast of strong homegrown leaders, the situation will not improve,” he mentioned.

Echoing him, political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty said that lack of mass actions is loosening the glue inside the social gathering.

“Any political party grows through mass movements. The BJP grew by inducting leaders from other parties. Unless they organise mass movements at the state and local level, there won’t be any change in the situation,” he added.