Kolkata: Central BJP leaders largely stayed away from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) election campaign that ended Friday — an uncharacteristic move for a party that usually pulls out all stops in civic polls, especially in states where it’s seeking to expand.
Election to the municipal body, including for the post of mayor, will be held Sunday.
The list of BJP star campaigners for the KMC polls included Union ministers Smriti Irani and Giriraj Singh, apart from Union MoS Subhas Sarkar, and MPs Ram Kripal Yadav and S.S. Ahluwalia, but they remained absent, leaving it to local leaders to shore up the party candidates’ prospects.
The campaign was spearheaded by BJP state president Dr Sukanta Majumdar, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Suvendu Adhikari and BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh. Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who was in Kolkata for an official visit, campaigned for candidates of two wards on the sidelines on 16 December.
The top leaders, who were seen carrying out up to four rallies per day during the campaign for the West Bengal assembly elections nine months ago, have been missing in action since Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress stormed to office for a third consecutive term.
Only BJP president J.P. Nadda visited for a one-day trip on 4 May to meet victims of the violence that erupted after election results were announced.
“The star campaigners list is drawn by us but only leaders who are available join the campaigning,” Sukanta Majumdar told The Print.
“We are weaker in the corporation than the assembly, but we remain hopeful to increase our seats if there are free and fair elections, which I believe cannot take place with Kolkata Police in charge of security.”
The BJP has three sitting councillors in the KMC, which has a total strength of 144. The party is contesting from all seats.
While the BJP has been trying to find its footing in West Bengal, many of its party workers feel the top leadership in New Delhi abandoned them after the assembly election results, causing some resentment.
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), meanwhile, has been going all-guns blazing with its campaign, with CM Mamata Banerjee holding public meetings and nephew and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee conducting roadshows.
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‘Parliament the reason behind absence’
The BJP has been known to take local body elections seriously.
In December 2020, three of BJP’s “Big 4” — Union Home Minister Amit Shah, J.P. Nadda and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath — as well as several Union ministers campaigned for the Hyderabad civic polls. The party emerged as the second-largest player on a turf where it was considered a negligible force until recently.
Asked about the low-profile KMC campaign, a BJP insider said, “The BJP did a high-voltage campaign during the assembly elections in West Bengal but did not get the desired results. So, for the corporation poll, we are not going overboard.”
Pratap Banerjee, BJP in-charge for the KMC poll, attributed the leaders’ absence to the ongoing winter session of Parliament.
He added, “People are still scared to openly come out and support us here in West Bengal because of TMC’s muscle power,” he added.
The top leaders of the BJP are also currently focusing on the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and four other states that are scheduled for early next year.
TMC takes a dig at BJP
At a roadshow in Kolkata Friday, Abhishek Banerjee of the TMC took a potshot at the absence of senior BJP leaders from the campaign.
“Bengal has shown the way. The top leaders of the BJP came to West Bengal in April and said ‘is baar 200 paar (this time, more than 200)’ but now none of them can be seen here. Their gas balloon burst in May,” he added.
The CPI (Marxist) also looks hopeful about gaining some of its sheen back after its historic wipeout from the Vidhan Sabha.
“BJP will not the win the KMC poll, only Mamata Banerjee can help the BJP win but the people can see through this,” said CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty during a press conference on 15 December.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
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