Union home minister Amit Shah reached Calcutta late on Friday night to review the BJP’s preparations for the Assembly polls with his second trip in less than two months indicating that he was more focused on strengthening the party’s organisational structure than holding mass rallies.

Upon his arrival in Calcutta, Shah will head to a meeting of the BJP’s state core committee at a hotel on Friday night. On Saturday, he will first meet party functionaries from four south Bengal districts in North 24-Parganas’s Barrackpore, followed by a similar meeting in Siliguri, where the BJP’s rank and file from four north Bengal districts will take part.

After chairing the two meetings, Shah will return to Delhi on Saturday evening.

Shah had come to Calcutta in December.

“During his December 30–31 trip, Shah held organisational meetings with senior BJP leaders and functionaries of the Calcutta zone. Leaders from the city and adjoining Assembly constituencies participated in the session. During his first visit to Bengal this year, he will follow the same pattern, which clearly indicates that the No 2 in the Narendra Modi government is more focused on organisation rather than holding big rallies,” said a senior BJP leader in Calcutta.

Sources in the BJP said Shah, who played a key role in handling the organisation and strategy in the Bihar election, had been following a similar organisation-first model for Bengal. In Bihar, Shah laid emphasis on multiple meetings with the party’s micro-level leaders. Besides that, he resolved differences among party leaders. He also held meetings with BJP allies and RSS functionaries for better coordination in Bihar.

As there is no official ally for the BJP in Bengal, Shah has no such engagements in Bengal. He is instead focusing on strategies against the Trinamool Congress and other parties like the CPM and Congress.

During his December visit, Shah also followed the Bihar model by reactivating leaders like Dilip Ghosh, who had been sidelined in the party after his meeting with Mamata Banerjee in April last year during the inauguration of the Jagannath temple in Digha. Shah also held coordination meetings with top RSS leadership during that
particular trip.

“If you follow his activities, it is crystal clear that he has been concentrating on organisation. Before the 2021 Assembly polls, Shah’s role was different, with more focus on rallies and roadshows. This time, multiple meetings with the state core committee are also a way to keep everyone on their toes,” said a BJP source.

Several BJP leaders said Shah’s meeting with party functionaries in the Calcutta zone had been effective, as they had seen an increase in political activities after his December visit. “Amit Shah ji’s meetings always boost our leaders and workers. After Calcutta, we are ready to witness the same as he will hold meetings with BJP karyakartas on Saturday,” said Union minister of state and former state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar.

Political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty said Shah brought a basic change in strategy compared to the 2021 Assembly elections.

“This time, Shah and his party have taken a more realistic approach to the Bengal election compared to 2021. Even Nitin Nabin, the new national president, during his maiden Bengal visit, held meetings with organisational units in Durgapur zone rather than a mass rally. This proves Shah has been focusing more on strengthening the organisation rather than engaging in so-called show-of-strength politics,” said Chakraborty.

BJP sources have said the party has 10 organisational zones in Bengal, and Shah is scheduled to meet functionaries from all of them before the elections. While Shah has already held meetings with the Calcutta zone leadership, Nabin met leaders from the Durgapur zone during his recent visit.

“After Saturday’s two meetings, six more zones will remain to be covered by the Union home minister. One or two such meetings may be led by our national president,” said a source.

A senior BJP leader in Calcutta said there was a basic difference between earlier elections and the forthcoming one. The Trinamool Congress’s stance differs between the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. In the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP depends heavily on the popularity of Narendra Modi. But in Assembly elections, the party needs to address local issues and penetrate micro-level areas and pockets to win more seats, which is not possible without a robust organisation.

“We believe the BJP won 18 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections not solely because of the strong organisation, but also because of Trinamool’s lackadaisical attitude. However, when they (Trinamool leaders) realised that our victory was a threat to them, they activated their leaders and ensured a third consecutive win in the Assembly polls by using their full strength. Now, we have a steady organisation in the state. So, if we want to win Bengal, we have to focus more on organisation, which is what Amit Shah ji has been doing,” the leader said.