BJP civic focus

Amit Shah

TT, Siliguri, Aug. 18: The Darjeeling BJP, which is gearing up to welcome new party president Amit Shah, today said the focus of the two-day state committee would be the coming civic elections.

Shah is supposed to be the chief guest of the two-day event. State BJP president Rahul Sinha, Siddharth Nath Singh, the party’s co-observer in Bengal, and the two MPs from the state, Babul Supriyo and S.S. Ahluwalia, are also supposed to be at the meeting.

“On September 6, we will hold a session at the Kanchenjungha Stadium hall and over 400 delegates from the state would discuss about the party and its activities in the state. The next day, we would organise a public meeting at Baghajatin Park here where party president Amit Shah, along with state and central leaders, would speak,” Rathindra Bose, the BJP president of Siliguri district, said at a news conference here today.

The BJP’s decision to hold the meeting here follows the victory of its candidate S.S. Ahluwalia from Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat. The BJP, backed by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in the hills, did well in three hill Assembly segments (Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong) and led in three plains segments (Siliguri, Matigara-Naxalbari and Phansidewa). The BJP had a lead in the Islampur civic area also. “In Siliguri, we are ahead in 21 of 47 civic wards. We are confident that we will win both (Siliguri and Islampur municipalities),” Bose said. The BJP’s strategy to expand its base in the region would be discussed at the meeting, a source said.

“The Trinamul government has failed to meet people’s aspirations and it could not give good roads, basic civic and health services, job and educational opportunities. These issues would be discussed and workers would be assigned specific tasks in their areas. The process of forming committees in wards in urban areas and booths in rural areas is on.”