Nitin Nabin, the new BJP national president, put his best foot forward to connect with Bengali sentiments on his maiden visit to poll-bound Bengal on Tuesday, paying homage to 10 great figures from the state, including Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray.

Nabin reached Andal airport in West Burdwan in the evening and went to Durgapur to inaugurate the Kamal Mela that promotes local art, culture and businesses.

“This land belongs to a polymath like Raja Rammohan Roy, who gave Indian culture a new identity. I also want to remember Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar...,” Nabin said in his maiden speech that named 10 of Bengal’s greatest sons, ending his list with Satyajit Ray.

Between Roy and Ray, Nabin named Rabindranath Tagore, Vidyasagar, Nandalal Bose, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekananda, Uttam Kumar and Kazi Nazrul Islam.

“Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi always thinks about how Bengal can move forward. We have to build a Viksit Bengal before 2047 to fulfil the dream of a Viksit Bharat. To do that, we must take forward the culture of Bengal, the soil of Bengal and its fields of art,” Nabin said.

Nabin’s move to recall icons from diverse fields was seen as significant ahead of the Bengal elections, especially at a time when the ruling Trinamool Congress has been portraying the BJP as anti-Bengal and anti-Bengali, citing several faux pas by BJP leaders on Bengal’s icons.

“It seems Nabin took a soft approach in his first public address in Bengal. Instead of adopting a hardline stance while criticising the situation in Bengal, he tried to strike an emotional chord with people here using positive and respectful words. Though he will mount political attacks later, he did not do so aggressively this time,” said a BJP insider.

During his 11-minute speech, he also spoke about the BJP’s commitment to developing Bengal.

Later, Nabin held a meeting with the state core committee to discuss organisational matters, including the party’s current strength and the political situation. He is scheduled to visit a famous Kali temple in Durgapur on Wednesday, followed by two organisational meetings.

The BJP is hoping Nabin’s visit to the Durgapur–Asansol region of West Burdwan — once a BJP stronghold — will galvanise the large number of Bihari and non-Bengali voters living there. The BJP had won both Lok Sabha seats in 2019, with S.S. Ahluwalia winning from Burdwan–Durgapur and Babul Supriyo — now with Trinamool — from Asansol. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, however, both seats went to Trinamool. Victorious Trinamool MPs Kirti Azad (Burdwan–Durgapur) and Shatrughan Sinha (Asansol) are from Bihar. In the 2021 state polls, Trinamool won six of nine Assembly seats in West Burdwan.