Who is Samik Bhattacharya, Bengal BJP's new president? What are the challenges for him?
Samik Bhattacharya, a senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP, is set to become the new president of the West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party, as no other candidate filed nomination for the post till the deadline on Wednesday. Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya (2nd from left) files his nomination for the post of West Bengal BJP president in the presence of Union MoS and current state party chief Sukanta Majumdar, LoP in the West Bengal legislative assembly Suvendu Adhikari and others in Kolkata on Wednesday. (ANI)
Accompanied by outgoing state president Sukanta Majumdar and Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Suvendu Adhikari, Samik Bhattacharya submitted his nomination papers at the party's office in Salt Lake in the afternoon. Samik Bhattacharya is an old Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker. He tasted his first electoral success in 2014 when the BJP had no seat in the Bengal legislative assembly. He won the Basirhat South assembly seat for the saffron camp for the first time in a bypoll. BJP leaders said Bhattacharya's ascent marks the importance of RSS in Bengal in the run-up to the crucial 2026 assembly election. A senior BJP leader told Hindustan Times that the central leadership chose Bhattacharya because of his strong oratory skills and wide acceptability among both old and new BJP workers. With Bhattacharya as president, the rivalry between various groups and some state leaders is likely to end. Bhattacharya will take over the reins of the state unit at a critical juncture with the 2026 assembly election less than a year away. Bhattacharya's key challenges will include ensuring better coordination between the party's organisational and legislative wings and unifying the various factions within the state BJP. Another major task ahead for him is countering the TMC's consistent attempt to brand the BJP as 'anti-Bengali' and an 'outsider party', a narrative that has gained traction in past elections. Political observers feel it is to be seen how Bhattacharya, known for his articulate communication style and long-standing association with the BJP and RSS, navigates these hurdles.
In the 2021 assembly election, the BJP had won 77 seats. Since then, the tally has come down to 65, with 12 seats lost either due to by-polls caused by the demise of MLAs or defections to the ruling TMC. (With inputs from Tanmay Chatterjee in Kolkata)
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