Defection and disaffection

Power tussles and the absence of a decisive leadership plague the BJP in West Bengal

- RABI BANERJEE

Last year, soon after the results of the assembly elections in West Bengal were out, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh was held liable for his party’s poor show. Ghosh, in turn, blamed scores of Trinamool leaders who had defected to the BJP in the run-up to the elections. He said he had not wanted Trinamool defectors to be part of the BJP.

“He told [BJP national president J.P.] Nadda ji and [national general secretary B.L.] Santhosh ji to not be so mesmerised by newcomers from Trinamool,” said a leader close to Ghosh. “But they did not understand the severity of the problem. We would have come to power had we relied upon our own leaders and workers.”

But, as the BJP’s national leadership saw it, poaching from the Trinamool was a “political necessity” to attract various communities in the state and ensure the party’s all-round growth. But, the results and their aftermath vindicated Ghosh—many defectors went back to the Trinamool in the months following the polls.

But, within the BJP, Ghosh could not see the writing on the wall. In September last year, Ghosh was removed as state BJP president months before he could complete his term. His noncooperation with Trinamool defectors and open criticism of their entry into the BJP were cited as reasons.

Ghosh had been state BJP president since 2015. Mindful of the fact that he had helped build the party from scratch in Bengal, Nadda and Santhosh had sounded out Ghosh on choosing a successor. He had recommended Sukanta Majumdar, Balurghat MP and his confidant. But what Ghosh could not foresee was that Majumdar would be made president even before his tenure ended.