Top North Bengal BJP leaders set for meeting with central leaders

MANAS R BANNERJEE, SNS, SILIGURI, 17 NOVEMBER 2020 : BJP leaders of North Bengal, under the guidance of senior leaders appointed by the central leadership, are scheduled to hold a two-day meeting in Siliguri as part of the party's preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Party district presidents, general secretaries and observers of eight districts and elected MPs and other senior selected leaders will hold the meeting with Shib Prakash and Amit Malaviya, who will be arriving in Siliguri tomorrow, party leaders said.

Leaders from Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts have been asked to attend the meeting tomorrow, while leaders from Cooch Behar, Malda, and both North Dinajpura nd South Dinajpur will be arriving here on Thursday.

The state BJP leadership under Kailash Vijayvargiya, Mukul Roy and other leaders, including co-observers for West Bengal and state president of the party Dilip Ghosh, held a meeting in Kolkata today and discussed preparations for the Assembly polls. They divided the entire Bengal into five zones, and North Bengal, comprising eight districts, is one of the zones.

Additional co-observer for a zone, Harish Dwivedi, has been asked to take charge of north Bengal.

However, Shib Prakash, who will be looking after all of West Bengal, has been asked to take additional charge to oversee overall matters of organizations from district level to booth level in north Bengal, especially, it is learnt.

"Both Mr Malaviya and Mr Prakash will hold a meeting here on 18 and 19 November. Mr Dwivedi may not come to Siliguri tomorrow," a party source said.

Sources also said that party leaders will review the situation and prepare reports so as to formulate their next course of action before the visit of Amit Shah to the region, tentatively towards the end of November.

At a time when the BJP has been preparing to garner votes up to the booth level by keeping an eye on the 2021 Assembly elections, a section of MLAs, including a minister belonging to the rulng Trinamul Congress, have indirectly criticized their party leadership and even party chief and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Significantly, when TMC leader and state transport minister Subhendu Adhikari may make his stand clear soon, after a "revolt," on whether he would stay in the TMC or form a new party or join the BJP, another MLA from Cooch Behar, Mihir Goswami, who was also close to Miss Banerjee, said,"Didi has lost control over her party."

Another MLA from Sitai has also supported Mr Goswami.

Mr Goswami has also wondered whether he should quit the party where he has said there is no "respect."

According to sources, Mr Goswami has been expecting a phone call from Mamata Banerjee ever since he started protesting against his party's decision in Cooch Behar district.

Sources further said that BJP leaders are keeping in touch with Mr Goswami ever since Cooch Behar's BJP MP, Nishit Pramanik, met him at his home a few days ago.