Eyes on 2021 polls, Bengal BJP brings major reshuffle in state unit
Kolkata/IBNS: Targetting the 2021 state polls scheduled to be held within a year if not postponed due to Covid-19 spread, the West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday brought a major reshuffle in its unit.
The BJP, which is apparently the main opposition party in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's backyard, gifted important posts to various newly-elected Lok Sabha MPs.
Bankura MP Subash Sarkar, who had defeated state minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) veteran Subrata Mukherjee in 2019, and Barrackpore lawmaker Arjun Singh are among 12 leaders who have been appointed as the party's vice president.
Singh, who had trumped former Railway Minister and another TMC senior leader Dinesh Trivedi, switched from the ruling party of the state to the BJP just ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Two other MPs- Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato and Locket Chatterjee- are among five leaders who have been appointed as the party's general secretary.
Sabyasachi Dutta, former Bidhannagar Mayor and an ex-TMC leader, has been promoted to the secretary's post.
Dutta has become one of the 10 new secretaries of the party.
BJP MPs Soumitra Khan and Khagen Murmu, who are the former TMC and Left leaders respectively, have been appointed as the Yuba Morcha (Youth Wing) and S.T. Morcha presidents.
Fashion designer-turned politician Agnimitra Paul is now the Mohila Morcha (Women's Wing) president of the saffron brigade in the eastern state.
The BJP, which is led by president Dilip Ghosh in West Bengal, made an unprecedented surge in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls by bagging 18 of 42 seats besides improving its vote share to over 40 per cent.
Riding on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and massive campaign of then party's national president (now Union Home Minister) Amit Shah, the BJP restricted the TMC to 22 seats, 12 less than the ruling party's previous tally.
However within six months since the massive gains, the BJP was defeated by the TMC in three by-polls.
(Images: IBNS File)
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