Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar met party MPs at the former’s official Delhi residence on Monday evening.
A BJP source said Adhikari’s presence at Majumdar’s residence on 30, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road, was significant as the central party leadership was concerned about the reported lack of communication between the current top two leaders of Bengal BJP, an issue deemed critical to the party’s performance in the 2026 Assembly election.
The meeting was held in the run-up to the appointment of the party’s new Bengal chief and Union home minister Amit Shah’s scheduled visit to Calcutta later this month.
Although the agenda of the meeting was not revealed by Adhikari or Majumdar, BJP insiders said it aimed to showcase unity between the two senior leaders and brief the MPs about their “duties and assignments” to prepare for the Assembly elections.
“There was no central leadership present; it was a meeting involving two top Bengal leaders and the party MPs. This meeting is particularly significant given the current context at a time the party’s Delhi leaders believe that lack of coordination among Bengal leaders has affected the party’s strategy ahead of the 2026 Assembly election,” said a BJP leader in Calcutta.
Before departing for Delhi, Adhikari told reporters at Calcutta airport that Majumdar invited him to the meeting.
“I won’t disclose the reasons behind the meeting. I am attending a meeting with the MPs in Delhi as Sukantababu invited me to his residence” said Adhikari.
Shah is expected to arrive in Calcutta on March 29 night and hold an important meeting with senior BJP leaders to brainstorm for the upcoming election at a time when the TMC is continuing with its campaign alleging irregularities in the electoral roll.
Internal differences among top BJP leaders in Bengal are not new. These rifts became noticeable since the BJP’s failure to defeat Mamata Banerjee in the 2021 Assembly elections despite a call by Shah to conquer Bengal with over 200 seats. Factionalism has been blamed for the BJP’s underwhelming performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, when the party secured 12 seats, six less than in 2019.
Recently, Adhikari’s controversial remarks about Muslim MLAs were reportedly not wholly endorsed by Majumdar.
“Focusing on Hindu voters is important for the party ahead of the Assembly polls. But that doesn’t mean making controversial remarks against Muslims. Such comments could backfire and benefit the TMC by consolidating its voter base,” said a BJP leader.
“Despite this, Suvendu-da remains a crucial leader for the party. That’s why efforts are being made to establish a comprehensive organisational structure that includes all top leaders. The combined leadership of Suvendu-da and Sukanta-da is vital for the party,” he added.
Many BJP insiders viewed the joint meeting between Adhikari and Majumdar to be significant, especially as the party is set to announce its new state chief within a week.
On Sunday, Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar convened a core committee meeting at the party’s Salt Lake office in the presence of Bengal minder Sunil Bansal and co-minder Amit Malviya. A source said the meeting covered discussions about appointing new district presidents for 18 organisational districts as well as nominating a new state president.
A BJP source indicated that Majumdar’s term as state party president might be extended till the 2026 Assembly elections. “Even J.P. Nadda’s term as national party president, which ended in 2023, was extended for an additional year ahead of the 2024 elections. However, Sukanta da’s extension is yet to be confirmed,” said a BJP insider.
Suvendu meets Shah
The leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, met Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Monday evening. The details of the meeting are not known so far, but reportedly Adhikari met Shah alone. Earlier in the day, before leaving for Delhi, Adhikari was asked by the media about the possibility of his meeting Shah, but he didn’t divulge it.
