The high-level meeting, the first after Nitin Nabin assumed charge as the party’s national president, was held at the official residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg instead of the BJP headquarters, where such meetings are usually convened.
The BJP has finalised around half of the candidates for 294-member West Bengal assembly polls, before its announcement.
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Sources said the party has almost finalised names for a majority of seats and is expected to release its first list soon. In a notable shift in strategy, the BJP is considering fielding several of its former Members of Parliament in the Assembly polls. Former state president Dilip Ghosh and former Union minister Nisith Pramanik and Suvendu Adhikari are among those likely to be fielded.
However, unlike the 2021 Assembly elections, the party is unlikely to field sitting MPs this time.
The BJP had emerged as the principal opposition in the 2021 Assembly elections after winning 77 seats. Its effective strength in the House, however, has come down to about 65 after several legislators switched allegiance to the ruling All India Trinamool Congress. Party sources said a majority of the sitting BJP MLAs are likely to be renominated.The candidate selection reflects a recalibrated approach by the party leadership. Unlike the previous elections, when several Trinamool defectors, celebrities from the Bengali film industry and other prominent personalities were fielded, the BJP this time has focused largely on long-time party workers and leaders with strong grassroots presence.
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Sources said caste equations, local political dynamics, organisational commitment and, above all, winnability were key factors considered by the CEC while finalising the candidates.
As part of its campaign messaging, senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah has already promised that if the party forms the government in West Bengal, it will implement the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission for state government employees within 45 days and fill vacant government posts.
Going micro in its outreach strategy, BJP leaders said the party plans to organise nearly one lakh “drawing room meetings” across the state to enable personalised and one-on-one interaction with voters ahead of the polls.
