Kolkata, 4 June (H.S.) -In a significant move ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched an intensive internal campaign to rectify organizational inconsistencies and bolster its grassroots network. The campaign, which began on June 4, involves senior party leaders conducting on-ground assessments across districts over the next three days, starting with reviews at the mandal (block) level. This will be followed by evaluations at the ‘shakti kendra’ (cluster) and booth levels starting June 7.

Central BJP observer for West Bengal, Mangal Pandey, is personally overseeing the initiative, while organizational observer Pawan Bansal has already initiated groundwork. The party’s internal program, named Booth Empowerment, has gained strategic importance in the wake of disappointing results in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Sources revealed that during a key organizational meeting on May 7, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari raised concerns over discrepancies in party data across mandals, shakti kendras, and booths. His remarks prompted a verification drive led by Bansal, who engaged call centers in Delhi to directly contact local party workers. This effort exposed several falsified data entries.

The BJP central leadership believes that flawed data was a major factor behind its poor Lok Sabha performance and is determined to verify ground realities before crafting its new election strategy. The current three-phase campaign focuses on assessment, correction, and strengthening of the organizational structure.

Several senior leaders are involved in the campaign, including co-in-charge Amit Malviya, state organizational secretary Amitava Chakraborty, Satish Dhond, five general secretaries – Jagannath Chattopadhyay, Locket Chatterjee, Deepak Barman, Agnimitra Paul, and Jyotirmoy Mahato – as well as vice-presidents Rathindranath Bose and Khagen Murmu. Additionally, three former Union ministers – Nisith Pramanik, Debasree Chaudhuri, and Subhas Sarkar – are playing active roles in the drive.

West Bengal has approximately 80,000 polling booths, of which around 14,000 are in Muslim-majority areas where the party reportedly does not plan to establish committees. Another 9,000 booths are considered inaccessible due to alleged political violence. The party aims to ensure a fully functional organizational presence in the remaining 57,000 booths. Upon achieving this, the BJP may explore expanding into other regions.

The campaign reflects the party’s renewed focus on organizational accuracy, grassroots mobilization, and data-driven strategy, as it prepares for a fierce electoral battle in Bengal’s upcoming assembly elections.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh