BJP powerplay: Nadda to bring Bengal poll battle to Didi’s backyard

KOLKATA: In yet another bid to showcase itself as a formidable contender in the next year’s assembly elections in West Bengal, the BJP is bringing its national president, JP Nadda, to take up an outreach programme in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s backyard.  

Nadda will participate in a door-to-door outreach drive from Tuesday in the area where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee resides.

He will meet voters living in the same ward of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) where Mamata’s residence is located.

Nadda will also participate in a mass-connect campaign in Diamond Harbour, the Lok Sabha constituency of CM’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee.

The BJP leader will be in the state for three days. 

“We selected the chief minister’s area which is under Bhawanipur Assembly constituency because we want to make deep inroads in the chief minister’s residential zone. Our party decided to depute its organisational head to send a message for the voters who are chief minister’s neighbours,’’ said a BJP leader.

BJP has re-launched its campaign titled Aar Noy Onnay (No more injustice) to sharpen attack on the ruling party, eyeing the upcoming Assembly elections slated to be held in April-May next year.

The party published pamphlets showcasing “the success of BJP-led Central government and the failure of Trinamool Congress-led state government”.

“Naddaji will interact with the CM’s neighbours at their door-step and give them these pamphlets. Similar practice will be followed in Abhishek’s Lok Sabha constituency,’’ said the BJP leader.

As West Bengal is heading towards the crucial elections, several national leaders and Union ministers are scheduled to visit the state in the coming days.

Three Central ministers are already in the state and participating in the ongoing campaign.

“The Central ministers will visit several places ranging from Junglemahal to Kolkata. They will not address any rally. Instead, the ministers will meet voters at their houses. The drive is aimed to woo the voters residing in the ruling party’s strongholds,’’ said another BJP leader.

Sources in the saffron camp said the outreach drive will be more focused in south Bengal.

“We made inroads in north Bengal by bagging 7 Lok Sabha seats out of 8 in last year’s general elections. Now we are aiming at the southern part of the state where the TMC was in better position,” a BJP leader said.     

All parties except BJP are family-centric: Nadda

Terming rival political parties as family-centric, BJP president J P Nadda on Sunday said BJP is the only ideology-based party where the whole organisation is “one big family”.’  

Nadda was addressing a booth committee of the Uttarakhand Pradesh BJP on the third day of his tour to strengthen the party’s organisational structure.

Underscoring the key role of cadres, Nadda said even a booth level worker can be seen rising to higher positions only in the BJP.

“Our cadre base is our speciality and it is built through booth committees,” he said.