Kolkata, 18 March (H.S.) : Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dilip Ghosh is set to make a political comeback from his preferred Kharagpur Sadar Assembly constituency in West Midnapore district after a prolonged phase of internal differences within the party, with the BJP naming him as its candidate for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections.

Speaking to reporters during his morning walk on Wednesday, Ghosh expressed confidence about his electoral prospects and set an ambitious target of securing 100,000 votes from the constituency. He said he was confident of strong public support and indicated that his primary political contest was against the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) rather than any individual opponent.

Ghosh said he had previously contested twice from the constituency and emerged victorious on both occasions, expressing optimism that the BJP would again perform strongly in the seat. He also noted that voter turnout in Kharagpur has traditionally been lower than expected and said the party would focus on increasing participation while aiming for a decisive mandate.

During his interaction, Ghosh also criticised the TMC leadership and questioned the party’s decision to drop a large number of sitting legislators from its candidate list. He suggested that such decisions reflected political pressure and changing ground realities.

He further alleged that the political narrative in the state was shifting and claimed that anti-incumbency sentiments could influence the upcoming elections. Ghosh also criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s recent political positions, alleging inconsistencies in her political strategy.

Ghosh is widely regarded as one of the key leaders behind the BJP’s organisational expansion in West Bengal over the past decade. However, his relationship with sections of the party leadership had reportedly become strained in recent years amid internal differences between veteran leaders and newer entrants.

He had won the Kharagpur Sadar Assembly seat in 2016 but vacated it in 2019 after being elected to the Lok Sabha from the Medinipur parliamentary constituency. In the 2024 general elections, he was fielded from the Bardhaman–Durgapur Lok Sabha constituency but was unsuccessful.

Following that defeat, Ghosh was seen as relatively less active in the party’s state-level political programmes, and he had publicly expressed dissatisfaction over being sidelined from key organisational activities.

Political observers believe the BJP leadership’s decision to field Ghosh again from Kharagpur Sadar signals an attempt to utilise his organisational experience and grassroots connect ahead of the Assembly elections.

His return to the constituency is also being viewed as part of the party’s broader strategy to strengthen its position in key electoral segments of the state.

With campaigning expected to intensify in the coming weeks, Ghosh’s candidature is likely to add a significant dimension to the political contest in the Kharagpur Sadar constituency.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh