BJP grappling with shrinking vote base amid internal bickerings
Kolkata Apr 23 PTI A year after its drubbing in assembly polls the West Bengal unit of the BJP is struggling to hold its flock together amid the slide in its vote share as reflected in the series of electoral losses since thenThe state unit of the saffron camp which has been experiencing churnings since the change of guard late last year is still licking its wounds from the assembly poll defeat with several leaders voicing concerns or raising complaints over the state leaderships style of functioningAs efforts made by the top brass to unite the state BJP unit seemed to have hit the wall all eyes are now on the likely visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah who during his tenure as the partys national president was instrumental in creating its inroads into BengalWhatever has been happening is unfortunate It has led to an uncomfortable situation for all of us The party leadership is looking into it trying to resolve all problems BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya told PTIThe party which had been grappling with reverse exodus since the assembly poll debacle with top leaders and legislators including Babul Supriyo and Mukul Roy switching over to the TMC is now plagued by internal rebellion even as state unit chief Sukanta Majumdar urged members to approach him with grievances instead of speaking to mediapersonsBJP national secretary Anupam Hazra who had recently called for introspection within the party told PTI There are complaints against those in charge of the states organisation The leadership here is not functioning democratically and trying to sideline experienced leaders The new state president too is unable to handle the situation In a similar vein a BJP state general secretary who did not wish to be named said If you dont find out and acknowledge the disease how will you treat it To pretend everything is all right when it is not is like living in fools paradise The slide in vote share that began with Bhabanipur bypolls — from 35 per cent in May 2021 to 22 per cent in October last year has continued unabated since thenIn Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls held last December the party managed to get 20 per cent vote share — down from 29 per cent that it had bagged in the civic body-administered areas during assembly electionsTwo months later during elections to 108 other civic bodies the BJP managed to garner just 1257 per cent of votes and failed to clinch any municipality In last years assembly polls the party had pocketed nearly 36 per cent votes in these areasThe recent by-polls to the Asansol Lok Sabha seat which was snatched away by the TMC and the Ballygunge assembly seat where the Left Front emerged as the first runner-up only added to the BJPs downswing in BengalAccording to saffron camp sources the internal rebellion that had brewing since the state poll fiasco only grew stronger after leaders such as Ritesh Tiwari Jay Prakash Majumdar and Sayantan Basu were dropped from the new office bearers panelAlthough the party initially cracked the whip by suspending Majumdar who was quick to switch over to the TMC and Tiwari it failed to stem the rebellionState BJP sources pointed out that the lack of a dedicated central observer has also augmented the crisis with BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya who has been in charge of Bengal since 2015 seen nowhere since the assembly poll defeatKaliashji doesnt show any interest in party affairs of Bengal The state leaders do not know who they should approach for problems another state BJP leader saidBJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh whose tenure as the state unit chief is considered the most successful one too has taken a dig at his successor Sukanta Majumdar over his inexperience in managing the party affairsMajumdar has declined to comment on the criticism he is facingState vice-president of the saffron party Rathin Chakraborty however said there are just some trivial issues within the camp which will be sorted out soonWhenever a party grows these issues come with it All matters would be resolved very soon The state BJP is a united family he told PTIPolitical analyst Suman Bhattacharya feels that the BJP wont be able to arrest its slide as it has lost the plotBJPs growth was inorganic As it has failed in the assembly polls the slide that started will continue Till the time the party can boast of strong homegrown leaders the situation will not improve he saidEchoing him political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty stated that lack of mass movements is loosening the glue within the partyAny political party grows through mass movements The BJP grew by inducting leaders from other parties Unless they organise mass movements at the state and local level there wont be any change in the situation he added PTI PNT RMS RMS
Kolkata Apr 23 PTI A year after its drubbing in assembly polls the West Bengal unit of the BJP is struggling to hold its flock together amid the slide in its vote share as reflected in the series of electoral losses since thenThe state unit of the saffron camp which has been experiencing churnings since the change of guard late last year is still licking its wounds from the assembly poll defeat with several leaders voicing concerns or raising complaints over the state leaderships style of functioningAs efforts made by the top brass to unite the state BJP unit seemed to have hit the wall all eyes are now on the likely visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah who during his tenure as the partys national president was instrumental in creating its inroads into BengalWhatever has been happening is unfortunate It has led to an uncomfortable situation for all of us The party leadership is looking into it trying to resolve all problems BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya told PTIThe party which had been grappling with reverse exodus since the assembly poll debacle with top leaders and legislators including Babul Supriyo and Mukul Roy switching over to the TMC is now plagued by internal rebellion even as state unit chief Sukanta Majumdar urged members to approach him with grievances instead of speaking to mediapersonsBJP national secretary Anupam Hazra who had recently called for introspection within the party told PTI There are complaints against those in charge of the states organisation The leadership here is not functioning democratically and trying to sideline experienced leaders The new state president too is unable to handle the situation In a similar vein a BJP state general secretary who did not wish to be named said If you dont find out and acknowledge the disease how will you treat it To pretend everything is all right when it is not is like living in fools paradise The slide in vote share that began with Bhabanipur bypolls — from 35 per cent in May 2021 to 22 per cent in October last year has continued unabated since thenIn Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls held last December the party managed to get 20 per cent vote share — down from 29 per cent that it had bagged in the civic body-administered areas during assembly electionsTwo months later during elections to 108 other civic bodies the BJP managed to garner just 1257 per cent of votes and failed to clinch any municipality In last years assembly polls the party had pocketed nearly 36 per cent votes in these areasThe recent by-polls to the Asansol Lok Sabha seat which was snatched away by the TMC and the Ballygunge assembly seat where the Left Front emerged as the first runner-up only added to the BJPs downswing in BengalAccording to saffron camp sources the internal rebellion that had brewing since the state poll fiasco only grew stronger after leaders such as Ritesh Tiwari Jay Prakash Majumdar and Sayantan Basu were dropped from the new office bearers panelAlthough the party initially cracked the whip by suspending Majumdar who was quick to switch over to the TMC and Tiwari it failed to stem the rebellionState BJP sources pointed out that the lack of a dedicated central observer has also augmented the crisis with BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya who has been in charge of Bengal since 2015 seen nowhere since the assembly poll defeatKaliashji doesnt show any interest in party affairs of Bengal The state leaders do not know who they should approach for problems another state BJP leader saidBJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh whose tenure as the state unit chief is considered the most successful one too has taken a dig at his successor Sukanta Majumdar over his inexperience in managing the party affairsMajumdar has declined to comment on the criticism he is facingState vice-president of the saffron party Rathin Chakraborty however said there are just some trivial issues within the camp which will be sorted out soonWhenever a party grows these issues come with it All matters would be resolved very soon The state BJP is a united family he told PTIPolitical analyst Suman Bhattacharya feels that the BJP wont be able to arrest its slide as it has lost the plotBJPs growth was inorganic As it has failed in the assembly polls the slide that started will continue Till the time the party can boast of strong homegrown leaders the situation will not improve he saidEchoing him political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty stated that lack of mass movements is loosening the glue within the partyAny political party grows through mass movements The BJP grew by inducting leaders from other parties Unless they organise mass movements at the state and local level there wont be any change in the situation he added PTI PNT RMS RMS
