After Nadda's Siliguri meeting, Centre keeps an eye on reaction

Mr Nadda has stressed on the need to activate 'Panna Pramukh,' who will always keep in touch with each voter as a motivator

SNS, MANAS R BANNERJEE,  SILIGURI, 20 OCTOBER 2020 : Following BJP national president JP Nadda's closed-door meeting in Siliguri yesterday, intelligence wings of the central government have started keeping a watch on it s impact among the people, as Mr Nadda has assigned leaders with many tasks in the party's efforts to win a majority of the seats in next year's Assembly elections.

Mr Nadda held the meeting with top leaders in the state and from all Assembly segments. According to party leaders, including Darjeeling MP Raju Bista and the state BJP secretary, Mr Nadda, who oversaw the entire North Bengal in the last Lok Sabha elections, knows the "pulse of this region," and the party had won seven of the eight seats under his guidance.This was the very reason Mr Nadda started his organisational preparatory meeting from Siliguri, party leaders said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah was scheduled to attend the meeting, but the progranune was later postponed.

Sources said Mr Nadda has stressed on the need to activate 'Panna Pramukh,' who will always keep in touch with each voter as a motivator.

According to senior party leaders, Mr Nadda will hold a similar meeting in South Bengal, comprising two organisational zones, after the pujas.

Significantly a group of senior leaders have already decided to keep monitoring the 'Parma Pramukh,' who deals with a few voters, whose names are printed in electoral rolls, of his locality

"Panna Pramukh had played a key role in dislodging the communist government in Tripura when a section of BJP leaders did not expect success, owing to difference of opinion among leaders after the 'influx' of several leaders, who were divided into many groups, in the BJP from different political parties including the Congress," one vice-president of the state BJP said.

Political observers in Bengal are expecting such influx in the BJP from other political parties, mainly from the Trinamul Congress, after the festival. Names of several TMC leaders have also come up on social media.

Significantly, state transport minister Subhendu Adhikari is now the centre of discussions, though he is apparently reluctant to speak. "However, practically, his followers and on the other hand, who have doubts over the BJP's win in 2021, are eagerly waiting for Mr Adhikari's joining, so that the saffron party can dislodge the Trinamul Congress," an observer said. Followers even in North Bengal have already readied a slogan if Mr Adhikari quits the TMC.

"The BJP will win 50 of the 54 seats in North Bengal," state BJP general secretary Sayantan Basu yesterday claimed. "When chances of winning for BJP in Bengal is gradually increasing, a wrong message is being circulated in Bengal as a section of senior members of the Sangha keeps a close eye on the present development," a Kolkata based political observer said.

"BJP tickets are on sale. It is being discussed among many leaders belonging to different political parties. Elected MLAs, who has doubts on their fate and possibility of a win, are allegedly ready to manage (buy) tickets from a section of influential party leaders," political sources said. A BJP leader in Siliguri said: "We have such information.A few of them in North Bengal, are in the race, fearing defeat in 2021."