The Bengal BJP is gearing for a busy January-end with Nitin Nabin set for his maiden visit to the state as party national president, followed by his political mentor and Union home minister Amit Shah.
Nabin, a native of Bihar, will spend January 27 and 28 in Durgapur and Asansol, which have sizeable populations of non-Bengali voters, many with their roots in Bihar.
Shah is likely to attend multiple meetings and political programmes in both north and south Bengal during his visit, expected on the last two days of the month.
“We believe the busy period, beginning this week, will continue until the elections are over,” a senior BJP leader said.
Nabin will visit the Kalam Mela in Durgapur on Tuesday before attending an organisational meeting at a private hotel in the industrial town. The next day, he will visit the Bhiringi Kali Mandir in Durgapur, following it up with two meetings with the party rank and file in Durgapur and Asansol.
These areas in West Burdwan were once a BJP stronghold, and the party hopes that Nabin’s visit would galvanise the large numbers of Bihari voters who live there,
sources said.
The BJP had bagged both seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, with S.S. Ahluwalia winning from Burdwan-Durgapur and Babul Supriyo — now with Trinamool — from Asansol. In 2024, though, both seats went to Trinamool.
Trinamool MPs Kirti Azad (Burdwan-Durgapur) and Shatrughan Sinha (Asansol) are from Bihar, too. In the 2021 Assembly elections, Trinamool won six of the nine Assembly seats in West Burdwan.
“So, there is scope for a revival for the BJP. The party believes that with proper concentration on this particular zone, it can win at least six Assembly seats from the Durgapur and Asansol areas,” a senior BJP leader said.
“That is why Nabinji’s maiden visit to this zone and his meetings with local leaders are very important.”
BJP national president Nitin Nabin (left) with Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Vrindavan on Sunday. PTI picture
Political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty, too, believes that Nabin, an organisation man from Bihar, “can motivate and reactivate the party ranks in this zone through his connection with Bihar”.
“I think the newly elected BJP president chose Durgapur and Asansol for his maiden visit for this very reason,” he said.
Senior BJP leader and former state unit president Rahul Sinha said: “During his visit, he (Nabin) will be introduced to the Bengal unit leaders and will outline organisational strategies.”
The Bengal BJP is yet to finalise Shah’s programmes. The dates are “almost fixed” but official confirmation from Shah’s office is yet to come, Union minister of state Sukanta Majumdar said.
“If everything goes as planned, Amit Shahji will visit the state on January 30 and 31. He is likely to hold one meeting in any of the north Bengal districts and another in south Bengal,” Majumdar said.
“As the Madhyamik exams are approaching, his programmes will be held indoors.”
Shah is likely to attend a rally in Barasat, North 24-Parganas, though nothing has been finalised.
A BJP source said that during his earlier visit, Shah had held an organisational meeting with leaders of the Calcutta zone. He might hold similar meetings with north and south Bengal leaders during his upcoming trip.
