'Bengal polls an election of rejection,' says BJP's Bengal president
What's the story
West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Samik Bhattacharya has called the upcoming assembly results an "election of rejection" against the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and its leader Mamata Banerjee. According to India Today, he expressed confidence that the BJP will win over 200 seats, attributing this to factors like teacher recruitment scams and unemployment under TMC's rule.
Leadership impact
Bhattacharya's year of leadership
Bhattacharya took over as the Bengal BJP chief a year ago and is seen to be instrumental in uniting the party. His leadership has led to a historic projection for the BJP in West Bengal, with several exit polls predicting a clear edge for them. In this regard, he said, "It was teamwork all along. The only challenge, you could say, was to place our agents at every booth till the last moment and instil fearlessness in them."
Future plans
Framing the election around Bengali identity
Bhattacharya has also framed this election around Bengali pride and identity, saying it was a call for change that transcended state borders. He said the BJP's focus would be on making Bengal an investment destination and stopping the exodus of labor, students, capital, and investors if they come to power. He added that if the BJP comes to power, its priority would be to dial down Bengal's "political overdose" and "create an apolitical society."
Strategy independence
Dismissing RSS speculation
Although Bhattacharya himself was initiated into the BJP through the RSS in the 1970s, when he was asked whether the organization had played a behind-the-scenes role in Bengal, as widely reported in the recent Maharashtra and Haryana elections, he dismissed the suggestion straightaway. He said, "The RSS doesn't intervene in the BJP's election strategy."