BJP president Amit Shah may contest from North Kolkata, considered a safe seat in the next year’s Lok Sabha elections, sources in the Bengal unit of the party said.
Replying to a pointed question Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said that the State party unit will be more than willing to host Shah as a candidate. “If he contests from here he will make it a sure sit to win,” adding “we will be privileged if Amitji contests from North Kolkata.”
The BJP had given an impressive performance in 2014 from North Kolkata a strong saffron bastion and finished second behind the ruling Trinamool Congress candidate Sudip Bandopadhyay.
While the TMC candidate got 343,687 votes polling about 36 percent votes — 17 per cent less than what his party got in 2009 — BJP’s Rahul Sinha got 247, 461 votes polling about 25.88 per cent votes — 21.66 per cent more from what the party got in 2009. CPI(M)’s Rupa Bagchi came third with about 2 lakh votes polling 20.50 per cent — 19.55 per cent less than what the party got in 2009. Congress’ Somen Mitra polled 130,783 lakh votes — about 13.68 per cent of the total votes polled.
“The deficit of last time will be easily covered this time round if a heavyweight candidate like Amitji who has all-India acceptance contests from here,” Ghosh said.
“My question is if Modiji can contest and win from Varanasi then why can’t he contest from Puri? And by same argument why can’t Amitji contest from North Kolkata,” the State BJP leader said.
“Amitji’s presence in North Kolkata will definitely turn the focus on this constituency and along with it will come a flood of development. Hence we will want him to contest from here,” said another State leader.