BJP flexes muscle in Bengal

Jayanta Bhattacharya
Jayanta Bhattacharya | Deputy Editor
Updated Apr 24, 2019 | 13:12 IST

BJP may just become Bengal’s No. 2 political party in the number of MPs from the state. And it wants just that for the time being.

BJP
The BJP might just breach more firewall. | File image 

The just-concluded third phase of Lok Sabha elections 2019 may turn out to be a close contest in West Bengal.

The constituencies that went to polls were Balurghat in South Dinajpur, Malda North and Malda South (Malda district), Jangipur and Murshidabad (Murshidabad district). In 2014 polls, Trinamool won the first, the next three went to Congress while the CPI(M) managed to wrest Murshidabad.

Despite being home to Shyama Prasad Mookerjee – founder of Jan Sangh – the lotus failed to bloom on Bengal’s soil. The maximum number of seats the BJP ever managed to bag at a time has been two. This time they are eyeing 23 (out of 42) seats… that may be a tough call!

In Balurghat, sitting Trinamool MP Arpita Ghosh reportedly faced the ire of her own party colleagues for not having made “enough visits”. In the panchayat elections, the Left failed to put up a good show here and the BJP had grabbed the number two position.

In Malda North Isha Khan Choudhury (Congress) challenges cousin Mausam Noor (TMC). The latter had won last time on a Congress ticket but has now switched over to Trinamool. The BJP candidate here is Khagen Murmu, who defected from the CPI(M).

Congress is worried that the Muslim – comprising almost half the population here – who always stood behind the Choudhury family and have been a deciding factor in previous elections, may be divided between the cousins. That serves well the BJP’s purpose.

The BJP might just breach more firewall. It has evolved to the number two party status in the state using deserters from Left, Trinamool and Congress; and of course, implementing well-planned polarising acts.

It may just become Bengal’s No. 2 political party in the number of MPs from the state. And it wants just that for the time being.

The views expressed by the author are personal and do not in any way represent those of Times Network.

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