Yogi going to Malda next week to boost BJP’s Bengal prospects
Besides rallies, the chief minister’s itinerary could include religious stopovers at mutts and important places of worship
LUCKNOW: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath will visit Malda on Tuesday to participate in a ‘Poribortan Jatra’ and hold a rally in this key West Bengal district in an attempt to create space for the party in this region where tribals hold the key in some seats and whose leaders are being wooed by BJP.
West Bengal is likely to go to polls in April-May and of the 12 assembly segments in Malda district, tribal voters determine the outcome in about 4 segments, BJP leaders said.
Yogi’s visit will happen days after BJP chief JP Nadda launched ‘Lokkho Sonar Bangla’ (target revival of golden days of Bengal) campaign aimed at stopping the Mamata Banerjeeled ruling Trinamool Congress government from coming to power for a third consecutive term in WB.
Ahead of Yogi’s visit, BJP cadres have started connecting with tribal farmers in Malda. His itinerary is still being drafted and could include religious stopovers at mutts and important places of worship.
“Of the seats in Malda with heavy tribal presence, CPM had won two and Congress one in the 2016 assembly polls. The two CPM MLAs have since defected to the BJP. Several important MLAs and ministers of the Mamata government have joined the BJP and I won’t be surprised if more ruling party or CPM leaders defect to BJP after Yogi ji’s rally,” a BJP leader said.
Already UP’s deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and UP BJP general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal have been tasked with the Bengal campaign. Maurya, an OBC leader, is connecting with OBC and dalit voters in Bengal while Bansal has been working out organisational dynamics in the state where BJP feels its political connect has been growing.
This will be Yogi’s first visit to Bengal since 2019 LS polls when the BJP did very well and one where his visits kicked up a storm after BJP claimed his chopper was not allowed to land in WB. Yogi subsequently visited WB through Jharkhand and held a rally in Purulia targeting the Mamata government.
“WB has always been close to our hearts. Our ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee hailed from there. And, people having tried all options there, now have hopes from BJP,” Harish Chandra Srivastava of BJP said. He added: “Yog’s visit will have an impact in the poll-bound state. Over the years, BJP’s graph has been growing in Bengal. In 2011, the party contested 289 out of 294 assembly seats and failed to open its account after garnering a meagre 4.06 per cent votes. But since, its graph has been going up in Bengal. In 2016 assembly polls, the party won three seats and raised its vote share to 10.06 per cent and in 2019 LS polls it surpassed even its own expectations winning 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats from the state with a vote share of 40.64 per cent.”
“Remember in 2019 LS polls our vote share of 40.64 per cent was just behind ruling TMC’s 43 per cent vote. We won 18 seats and TMC won 22 seats. Naturally, the TMC is rattled by our growing popularity and attack on our leaders and cadres only proves that it’s the ruling party which is now feeling the heat,” Srivastava said.
The 18 seats BJP won in 2019 LS polls includes the Malda north seat, a BJP leader said explaining why BJP has decided to get Yogi to begin campaign from this district.