There is strong possibility of senior leader and former MP Dilip Ghosh once again getting nominated as Bengal’s new BJP president in place of present State party chief Sukanto Majumdar who is presently a Union Minister, insiders say.
Though other names like those of State Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari, former MP Locket Chatterjee may also be considered for the post they may lose out to Ghosh, a former State BJP president under whom the saffron party got stupendous success in 2019 parliamentary elections winning 18 out of 42 seats,sources say.
The process of nominating a new State president is likely to be completed before March 27 when Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Bengal, sources said.
Adhikari who has of late been pursuing a strong “Sanatani Hinutva” line and has been a strong contender for the top job may however, lose out to Ghosh considering the fact that a large section of the saffron outfit including the “Adi BJP”, the ones who were with the party from the beginning and had not come from the Trinamool Congress unlike Adhikari who joined ahead of 2021 Assembly elections - are against him being nominated for the top State job.
“Unlike the TMC our party follows a strong discipline. It is for the national leadership to take a call on the new State party chief. It may retain Sukanto Majumdar or may appoint a new one like Dilip Da (Ghosh) or anyone else, even Locket di (Chatterjee). But things also will depend on what the newly elected district party presidents think,” a party leader and a president of one of the district committees said apparently ‘forgetting’ to mention the name of Adhikari in his list of probables.
When asked about his chances of getting nominated as the State party chief, the BJP leader reminded how “Suvendu da himself has insisted that a person cannot enjoy two posts at one point in time.” Adhikari had earlier said that, “like a Chief Minister does not become a State party president an Opposition leader too does not become one. I have plenty of engagements and responsibilities.”
On Ghosh’s chances of getting nominated once again inside sources said that “the district BJP presidents have a role to play in the nomination of a new State president and as 17 out of 25 newly appointed district presidents are close to him it is likely that they support his cause,” adding “the BJP has 42 organisational districts in the State out of which 25 have already received their new presidents. Now there is no impediment to electing a new State president because according to rules more than half of the total number of district presidents have to be elected before you go to appoint a new State party chief.”
The saffron leader’s statement came at a time when senior BJP leaders were engaged in a core committee meeting on Sunday. When asked to comment on a possible new State chief Sukanto Majumdar before entering the meeting said, “change is a process of development and it continues to take place in a democratic party like ours. So anyone can be a party president, but the party will continue to work as a united group to bring about a change in the next year’s Assembly elections.”
The minders of saffron politics in Bengal said that the national BJP leadership’s decision on the issue could make or break Adhikari’s future considering the fact he has hardly enjoyed a smooth chemistry with Ghosh.
In fact the latter held him responsible for shifting his constituency from Midnapore, where he was a sitting MP and which he was confident of winning - to Burdwan Durgapur in 2024 general elections. Though he would not speak in public in private Ghosh held the anti lobby led by Adhikari for his loss.
That Ghosh had a big hand in the selection of new district presidents and that he has a bright chance to be at the helm once again could be a matter of concern for Adhikari insiders said ascribing his hardline Hindutva stance in the State politics to his “sense of insecurity” at the possibility of ascendancy of Ghosh again.
