(L-R) West Bengal BJP leaders Suvendu Adhikari and Sukanta Majumdar. (File photo)
The head of the state unit, Sukanta Majumdar, said that the party would analyze the reasons for the result and would return in the 2026 assembly elections.
The Bharatiya Janata Party won 18 Lok Sabha seats from West Bengal in 2019. This time the number dropped to 12, while many polls predicted almost 30 seats for the party. BJP performed poorly in places like Cooch Behar, Bankura, Jhargram etc. The head of the state unit, Sukanta Majumdar said that the party will analyze the reasons for the result and will come back in the 2026 Assembly polls. Reports will be sought from all the districts to assess the incident.
So why is BJP’s seat count down in West Bengal?
Discontent with the minister
Party insiders said that after the 2019 results, the BJP made Bengal MPs Nisith Pramanik, Subhas Sarkar, John Barla, Shantanu Thakur and Debasree Chaudhuri as ministers, but none of them did much for the state.
According to observers, when Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee became the railway minister at the Centre, she had a special focus on her state.
Infighting
After losing the 2021 assembly polls, Dilip Ghosh was removed from the post of BJP state unit president and replaced by Sukanta Majumdar. Insiders say the Bengal BJP has three lobbies, led by Dilip Ghosh, Sukanta Majumdar, and Suvendu Adhikari. Among them, he said, the Suvendu lobby was the strongest. A section of BJP workers is said to be unhappy as more importance has been given to leaders who have shifted from the TMC in recent years.
After the Lok Sabha poll results, Dilip Ghosh said, “We are doing well till 2021, but we have not been able to progress in the last three years. All the workers have not worked. We have to discuss. There is also a conspiracy.”
Some workers said Dilip Ghosh’s change of seat from Medinipur to Bardhaman-Durgapur this time also led to his poll defeat. Saumitra Khan who managed to retain the Bishnupur seat by a slim margin of just over 5,000 votes claimed that some BJP leaders have ties with the TMC.
Dependence on central leadership
There is a feeling, insiders say, that everything will be done by the central leadership and that some local leaders are not making efforts to develop booth workers. One of the leaders told News18, “We know we have voters, but the efforts made by TMC to bring voters to booths, we are still lacking.”
The party still lacks a leader who hails from the BJP, hails from West Bengal, and can challenge Mamata’s image, insiders said, adding more work for the booth workers.
Losses in Jangalmahal and Cooch Behar
BJP suffered losses in areas like Jhargram, Bankura, Cooch Behar, Medinipur, and Asansol. It disappeared in Jangalmahal as its Kurmi vote bank moved to TMC, said observers. Leaders who promised Scheduled Tribe status to Kurmis could not be fulfilled. Jhargram BJP MP Kunar Hembram joined TMC a few weeks ago.
In Cooch Behar, the Rajbongshi vote, which was a big factor, was divided. BJP-backed Rajya Sabha member Ananta Maharaj is influential in the Rajbongshi community, but there are allegations that he is working with the TMC.
In Asansol, SS Ahluwalia’s candidature was announced late and the fact that he was not in his previous constituency, Bardhaman-Durgapur, worked against him, sources said.
Card corruption, Sandeshkhali, pointless polarization?
Local BJP leaders said they believed the TMC’s corruption allegations to play a big role in the polls, but it didn’t happen.
BJP’s attempt to make sexting allegations against women in Sandeshkhali an election issue failed. Also, an unverified video started surfacing last month of a BJP leader admitting that there was no rape or sexual harassment and that women are sure to lodge their complaints with senior party leaders. TMC comfortably won the Basirhat seat where Sandeshkhali is located.
Many say that the attempt at polarization may backfire as the Muslim vote is uniting the TMC while the Hindu vote is not for the BJP.
