Why is ‘West Bengal’ the biggest goal of BJP strategist Amit Shah now?

There will definitely be pain in Sandeshkhali.

BJP had set a target of winning more than 30 seats from Bengal in the Lok Sabha elections, but it won six less seats i.e. 12 seats compared to 2019. There are 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal. The issue of Sandeshkhali was very hot in the state. Regarding this issue, BJP had made a strong effort to corner the government regarding women’s safety. The party had also tried to send a message by making Rekha Patra, one of the Sandeshkhali victims, the party candidate from Basirhat Lok Sabha seat. PM Modi even called Rekha Patra as Shakti Swarupa. After this, PM Modi himself went to Bengal and met the women victims of Sandeshkhali.

However, BJP had failed to capitalize on a strong issue like women’s safety. This was a big blow to the party. In such a situation, Shah must have been feeling the pang of the party not being able to capitalize on the Sandeshkhali issue. In such a situation, Shah does not want to lag behind in any way in the next assembly elections.

BJP is cornering Mamata on these issues

• infiltration
• Corruption and cut money culture
• misuse of central funds
• Law and order
• women safety
• appeasement of minorities

Strategy to defeat Mamata

Mamata Banerjee is continuously strengthening her position in West Bengal. Till now, Shah’s strategy since Modi wave has been ineffective in West Bengal. Despite all the efforts, BJP has not been able to establish itself in a strong position here. After the assembly elections, Mamta has shown her strength in the Lok Sabha elections also. By winning the Lok Sabha elections in Bengal, Mamata has succeeded in giving the message that there is no alternative for her in Bengal. Along with political analysts, a section of people are also of the opinion that the magic of BJP fails in Bengal. In such a situation, the biggest challenge before Shah is to show the strength of BJP by defeating Mamata in Bengal.

Eye on winning two-thirds of the seats

Amit Shah has set a target of securing two-third majority in West Bengal in the assembly elections to be held in 2026. Shah has urged party members not to underestimate their influence in the state. Shah, being a skilled strategist, is leaving no stone unturned in boosting the morale of the workers. BJP had made more than 88 lakh members last time during the membership drive in the state. At present there are more MPs and MLAs in the party. In such a situation, the party’s target is to cross one crore members. The party is assuring the workers that they should accept the challenge and get busy in achieving the party’s goals.

Strong organization, challenge to bring new faces

BJP’s performance in the state remains piecemeal. The party does not appear strong in the entire state together. The party’s organization is comparatively weak in North Pargana, South Pargana, Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly. There are 16 Lok Sabha seats in this area. In the 2019 elections, BJP won only 3 out of 16 seats. This time the performance was even weaker. Only a few faces like Dilip Ghosh, Suvendu Adhikari, Tapas Roy are seen in the state. In such a situation, Shah will be eyeing to bring forward strong faces at the regional level in the state. In this way, the next two years in West Bengal are strategically important for Shah. Shah faces the challenge of demolishing Mamata’s strong fort.