Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to visit North Bengal on April 16, in what could be his first visit to the state after the 2021 assembly elections. Sources said local leaders are keen to meet Shah.
Party insiders said other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders JP Nadda and BL Santosh, too, may visit Bengal this month. After the 2021 results, Nadda had visited Bengal to meet the post-poll violence victims last May.
BJP sources said Shah is likely to be on a two-day official tour of West Bengal, as part of which he may visit Siliguri and Kolkata.
Party leaders are working out a schedule for interactions. “Nothing is confirmed. We are trying to squeeze in a meeting in the packed schedule. While there is no confirmation, there will be clarity by tomorrow,” said a senior party leader.
According to sources, the BJP is trying to cash in on incidents such as Rampurhat violence and Jhalda killing. “After the election results in Uttar Pradesh and four other states, the BJP was to concentrate on Bengal. The BJP could use these issues, and the visit of Shah and other Central leaders could benefit them,” the source said.
In the 2019 general electionsthe BJP won most of the North Bengal seats, from Darjeeling to Coochbihar. The BJP made MPs of North Bengal – Nishith Pramanik and John Barla – ministers. “Despite that, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) regained various seats in North Bengal in 2021. The BJP now wants to revive the base,” say experts.
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