BJP's three-day meet begins in Bengal amid growing infighting within state unit

KOLKATA: Eyeing next year's panchayat elections in West Bengal, a three-day meeting of the BJP began on Monday near Kolkata to formulate strategy, and check the exodus of leaders and infighting in the party.

Senior BJP leaders, including state president Sukanta Majumdar and newly-appointed state in-charge Sunil Bansal, is attending the 'Prashikshan Shivir' at a resort in Rajarhat in North 24 Parganas district.

All party MLAs and MPs were asked to be present at the programme, but some gave it a miss on the first day.

The reason for their absence could not be known.

"The top brass, apart from deliberating on how to strengthen the party ahead of the panchayat polls, asked leaders to keep aside differences and work together," a senior BJP leader said after the closed-door session.

"We have been asked to focus on areas where we lost the last panchayat polls with a slender margin," he said.

This is Bansal's first visit to the state after being given charge of the BJP's state unit.

His predecessor Kailash Vijayvargiya, who was in charge of the state since 2015, stopped visiting West Bengal after the party failed to win last year's assembly elections.

The meeting also assumes significance as the state BJP is plagued by infighting and exodus, and is still licking its wounds after the assembly poll defeat.

The state unit has been fighting hard to keep its flock together after former Union minister Babul Supriyo, party MP Arjun Singh and five legislators, including its national vice president Mukul Roy, switched over to the TMC after the assembly elections.

KOLKATA: Eyeing next year's panchayat elections in West Bengal, a three-day meeting of the BJP began on Monday near Kolkata to formulate strategy, and check the exodus of leaders and infighting in the party. Senior BJP leaders, including state president Sukanta Majumdar and newly-appointed state in-charge Sunil Bansal, is attending the 'Prashikshan Shivir' at a resort in Rajarhat in North 24 Parganas district. All party MLAs and MPs were asked to be present at the programme, but some gave it a miss on the first day. The reason for their absence could not be known. "The top brass, apart from deliberating on how to strengthen the party ahead of the panchayat polls, asked leaders to keep aside differences and work together," a senior BJP leader said after the closed-door session. "We have been asked to focus on areas where we lost the last panchayat polls with a slender margin," he said. This is Bansal's first visit to the state after being given charge of the BJP's state unit. His predecessor Kailash Vijayvargiya, who was in charge of the state since 2015, stopped visiting West Bengal after the party failed to win last year's assembly elections. The meeting also assumes significance as the state BJP is plagued by infighting and exodus, and is still licking its wounds after the assembly poll defeat. The state unit has been fighting hard to keep its flock together after former Union minister Babul Supriyo, party MP Arjun Singh and five legislators, including its national vice president Mukul Roy, switched over to the TMC after the assembly elections.