The Samik Bhattacharya-led Bengal BJP has rolled out a major shift in its optics by putting the party and its ideology above individuals.

The move comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's July 18 visit to the state when he is likely to address a rally with the new Bengal Bhattacharya, near Dum Dum, before flying off to poll-bound Bihar.

The first impression of change was noticed at a news meet held at the BJP's headquarters — 6 Murlidhar Sen Street — on Saturday. Till Thursday, the backdrop of the news meet podium had pictures of party central and state leaders, including Modi. On Saturday, a new flex with the BJP's symbol replaced the images of party leaders.

The earlier flex had pictures of Modi and national party president J.P. Nadda on one side and those of former state president Sukanta Majumdar and the leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on the other.

The same flex formed the backdrop when Bhattacharya held his first organisational meeting at the party headquarters on Thursday. However, by Saturday, it had been replaced. A banner printed only with party symbols had been installed.

When asked about the reason behind the change, Bhattacharya said it reflected the core theme of the BJP: "The party is always bigger than any individual leader, and the nation is bigger than the party. The new backdrop reflects this philosophy."

A senior BJP leader said that Bhattacharya, an RSS swayamsevak all his life, always believed in collective efforts rather than personality-centric politics.

"If this trend of replacing leaders' photographs with party symbols continues, it would suggest that the party is returning to the ideological path that helped it gain ground in Bengal," the leader added.

"Photographs of top BJP leaders like Modiji and Amit Shahji will be used depending on future events, but in Bengal, the party feels that unlike Trinamool, the need is to emphasise ideology over individual-centric politics. Highlighting one or two Bengal leaders might alienate others. Samikda is trying to unite all factions under one umbrella, which is why he hasn't allowed his image to be used either," the leader said.

"Of course, this strategy will differ for campaign rallies or high-profile events featuring the Prime Minister or Union home minister. If you look at the backdrop of the party's national office during news conferences, it features only party symbols, not any leader’s image," the BJP leader added.

Another BJP worker close to Bhattacharya said the party currently lacked a single, universally accepted leader in Bengal.
"Therefore, it’s more prudent to promote the party symbol rather than individual faces," he said.

However, some political analysts believe the BJP might be making a strategic mistake by moving away from face-based politics in Bengal, a state where personality-driven politics now dominates.

"This is certainly a shift from face-based politics to ideology-based politics within the BJP. But Bengal has always prioritised leaders’ faces over ideology, and Trinamool has proven that," said political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty.

"The CPM is a great example of what happens when you stick to ideology alone. Their party-based politics couldn’t reclaim lost ground against Trinamool's personality-driven approach," he added.

Photographs at the main gate of the BJP headquarters were only partially changed. A source said that previously, photographs of Modi and Nadda were on the left and those of Majumdar and Adhikari were on the right. "Now, the photos of Modi and Nadda remain, but Samik Bhattacharya's picture has replaced those of Majumdar and Adhikari," said the source.

This change sparked multiple narratives within the party. When asked about the absence of Adhikari’s photograph, Bhattacharya offered a tactful response. "I don’t believe Suvendu Adhikari’s photo was removed. He lives not only in the hearts of BJP workers but in the hearts of Trinamool leaders too. Trinamool workers fear him and wake up at night with his name in mind," Bhattacharya said.