What do you think why Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost Bengal assembly by polls last year against the Trinamool Congress?
Well, there are many reasons. The defeat of the BJP and the political killings and exodus of several ministers from the party demoralized the party workers. However, there’s always a saviour and for Bengal BJP, it is Suvendu Adhikari. While many leaders of the saffron party dejected from it, Suvendu Adhikari stood firm against TMC.
Why Bengal BJP could not win against TMC?
Whereas the internal turmoil in the BJP in West Bengal led to the party’s failure in the state, it also depicted the lack of organisational command structure of the rigidly hierarchical party. Days before state assembly elections, many leaders left the party to join TMC. A massive defection was witnessed from BJP to TMC and both the developments had created enough chaos in the state BJP of West Bengal.
But, there were many other reasons. Bengal being the home turf of Mamata, it was necessary for the saffron party to present a face which is equally popular in Bengal. Moreover, it was also important for the party to understand ground the game of Mamata Banerjee. The party, however, was lacking in both.
Rise of Bengal BJP under Suvendu
Suvendu Adhikari has emerged as a giant slayer in the West Bengal. He defeated Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram and has been appointed as the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly. He is the biggest asset of the BJP in Bengal. When the time comes, which will be in 2026 – Suvendu Adhikari must be projected as the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate.
Read more: Suvendu can stop Mamata from becoming the CM, hence Mamata has gone full maniac
Adhikari has a huge mass connect and commendable organisational skills. He was one of the handfuls of leaders in the TMC who didn’t have to rely on Mamata’s popularity and charisma to win the elections. Adhikari is also a proven winner as he has won both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections on multiple occasions, with the Nandigram victory coming as the biggest of them all.
Suvendu as Mamata’s closest confidante, held significant position in TMC. Adhikari played a key role in the Nandigram movement in 2007 which eventually ended the three-decade rule of the Left thereby becoming Mamata’s apple of the eye. As Suvendu Adhikari got increasingly sidelined in the TMC due to dynasty politics, he jumped ship to the BJP to fulfil his lofty political ambitions.
As Adhikari was once a close aid of Mamata and a prominent member of TMC, he is well-versed with the ground games of TMC as well as the Supremo. This is exactly the reason behind why BJP is evolving in Bengal. He has what it takes to counter TMC and retaliate in Mamata’s style.
The recent ruckus in Bengal assembly
BJP has definitely risen to power in Bengal. Its stature is increasing rapidly. This can be understood from the recent chaos in the West Bengal assembly. When the opposition asked for a discussion over the law-and-order situation in the wake of the Birbhum violence, the government refrained from it. This led to a ruckus on the assembly floor in Kolkata. While BJP MLA Manoj Tigga was allegedly manhandled, TMC MLA Asit Majumdar also reportedly sustained injuries in the incident.
Hours after the chaos, five Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs — Suvendu Adhikari, Manoj Tigga, Narahari Mahato, Shankar Ghosh, Dipak Barman were suspended.
Suvendu Adhikari stated, “I’ll write my complaint to the Speaker, demanding action as per the rules.”
TMC is scared of the rising popularity of Bengal BJP. Thus, it has resorted to silence the opposition by violence. But, it only shows the incompetency and cowardice of the party.