BJP slowly gaining strength in Bengal.
A former minister in the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal joined the BJP on Monday, boosting the saffron party's impending expansion drive to strengthen its position in the state ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Former WB minister in TMC government, Humayun Kabir, joined the saffron party a day before BJP president Amit Shah is to hold a rally in the state on Wednesday to launch his party's expansion drive.
Kabir hails from Murshidabad district and has been in the Congress after he was expelled by the TMC in 2015 for his alleged anti-party activities. Kabir claimed the people in the eastern state are looking for an alternative to Mamata Banerjee-led TMC and see the BJP as the most credible one. BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, who is in charge of the state, said Kabir's joining would strengthen the party and more leaders from different parties would join it in the run up to the elections. Shah has been looking at West Bengal as one of the states where his party can improve on its tally and has set a target of winning more than 21 seats out of the total 42 Lok Sabha constituencies. It had won only two seats in 2014.
With the Congress and the Left, the two traditional rivals of the TMC, being seen by many as having weakened in the last few years, the BJP has emerged as the closest rival to the TMC in several by-polls and local elections, including the recent panchayat polls.
Humayun Kabir urged Congress state President Adhir Chowdhury to join BJP to effectively fight against TMC. Kabir also said that very soon in a public rally, he will outline the reasons behind joining BJP and how he hopes to make a difference in the saffron party.
West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh in Kolkata said that this is just the beginning and many 'more surprises' are lined up for next month, indicating that other heavyweight TMC leaders may join BJP. However he refused to divulge any names but said the list will 'give heart-attack to didi', in an oblique reference to Bengal CM and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee.
Dilip Ghosh said that many veteran TMC leaders and workers want to join BJP, but they are worried of being target of vendetta politics. BJP senior leader Rahul Sinha too said that TMC government will fall after 2019 general elections as BJP is steadily gaining strength in the state.
TMC on their part have underplayed such developments. Party leader and minister Patha Chattopadhyay said that they don't need to react to all statements from Dilip Ghosh as 'he is not that important'.
Amit Shah is coming tomorrow to Bengal and will hold consultations with party workers including in Mamata's home turf Kalighat.
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