Kolkata, 4 July (H.S.) -

In a development that has sparked widespread political speculation, senior BJP leader and former Bengal unit president Dilip Ghosh was conspicuously absent from Thursday’s grand ceremony welcoming Samik Bhattacharya as the new state president of the party. The event, held in Kolkata with much fanfare, saw the presence of top state leaders — but not the man once credited with delivering the BJP's best-ever Lok Sabha performance in West Bengal.

Sources within the state BJP suggest that Ghosh was not invited to the event following instructions from the party’s central leadership. Despite his name surfacing prominently in internal discussions around a leadership change after Sukanta Majumdar’s term ended, Ghosh's exclusion has reignited questions about his standing within the party.

Significantly, several RSS functionaries in Bengal were reportedly in favor of Ghosh returning to the helm, citing his grassroots connection and organizational strength. However, not only was he overlooked for the position, he also did not receive an invitation to the formal induction of Bhattacharya.

Adding fuel to the speculation, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, while acknowledging past state presidents in his speech, omitted Ghosh's name. Adhikari expressed gratitude to former presidents like Professor Asim Ghosh, Rahul Sinha, and Sukanta Majumdar, stating, “Those who forget the past can never secure the future.” The deliberate omission of Ghosh's name was noted by many political observers.

In contrast, outgoing president Sukanta Majumdar did mention Ghosh twice during his address. He recalled how four years ago, during his own induction as state president, Dilip Ghosh had led the crowd in chanting “Sukanta Majumdar Zindabad.” Drawing a parallel, Majumdar urged attendees to now raise slogans for Samik Bhattacharya, expressing confidence in the new leader ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

The silence of the central leadership on the matter and the growing frequency of such exclusions from party programs point toward an internal rift or at least a strategic distancing. While no official comment has been made by the BJP regarding Ghosh’s absence, the incident has once again exposed fault lines within the party’s Bengal unit.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh