BJP keeps mum on committees for poll-bound quartet

Some in the party said factional fights were the reason for the leadership’s indecisiveness

Sukanta Majumdar.  : File photo

Arkamoy Datta Majumdar   |   TT  |  Calcutta   |   30.01.22  : BJP’s Bengal unit is unlikely to announce new committees for Siliguri, Asansol, Bidhannagar and Chandernagore where civic polls are due on February 12, as the state unit leaders fear a fresh round of protests over the composition of the committees may negatively impact the party’s poll performance.

“Our party is going through a complete overhaul. New faces will be inducted in all district committees. The leaders are afraid that old timers, who will be dropped from the committee, will sabotage the polls. This is why these four district committees will be announced later,” a state BJP functionary said.

While the Siliguri and Asansol municipal corporations come under BJP’s Siliguri and Asansol organisational districts, Bidhannagar and Chandernagore civic bodies fall under the Calcutta North Suburban and Hooghly districts, respectively. So far, new committees have been announced in 28 of 42 organisational districts.

BJP Bengal unit chief Sukanta Majumdar didn’t elaborate on the matter.

“The state leadership is keeping a watch on these four districts. We are weighing the effects a new committee might have…It will happen either after or before the polls,” Majumdar told this paper.

While he has met almost all other district chiefs and discussed the new committees with them, Majumdar admitted no meeting has taken place between him and the chiefs of these four districts yet.

Some in the party said factional fights were the reason for the leadership’s indecisiveness. Others said it just proved that the BJP was organisationally chaotic in Bengal.

“The recent unrest in the party over the state committee and new district committees have shaken the confidence of the leaders... Besides, the overall party organisation seems to be breaking down in sharp contrast to the mood ahead of the Assembly polls,” a source in the party said.

Since December 22 when Majumdar announced the new state committee, bickering started within the party. Old timers like Jay Prakash Majumdar, Ritesh Tiwari and Sayantan Basu, dropped from the new team, have come together to protest against the state general secretary (organisation) Amitava Chakraborty. This group of dissidents have found a leader in junior union minister and MP Shantanu Thakur.

Over the last three days this bickering has reached several districts like Malda, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Jhargram and North Calcutta, where many leaders objected to the new district committees.