Bengal BJP calls 2019 polls a ‘semi-final’, aims for power in 2021

West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh told party workers at the state executive meeting on Friday that the BJP regards next year’s general election as a “semi-final”. He said the party would aim to win power in the state outright in the 2021 Assembly election by defeating the Mamata Banerjee government. The state unit has set a goal of 25 Lok Sabha seats.

The TMC as the main rival

Ghosh said the BJP would give no ground to the Trinamool Congress and called it the party’s only opponent in the state. He alleged that the ruling party had stopped BJP workers from forming panchayat boards in several places and that about 250 BJP workers were forced out of their villages after the rural polls. He also claimed false cases were being filed against party workers.

Taking aim at the Congress and the CPM, Ghosh said both were trying to survive in the state with the TMC’s help, and that the CPM’s position was even weaker. He said the BJP was now the only alternative to the TMC.

Rath Yatra and booth management

A senior BJP leader said the party was putting great emphasis on a Rath Yatra planned for December-January, which would cover every Assembly constituency, require booth-level participation and be closely monitored from Delhi. The party has named an in-charge, or “palak”, for each Lok Sabha constituency, and sources said logistics committees would be set up alongside election committees.

The leader said each in-charge would need detailed knowledge of possible meeting venues, helipad arrangements for visits by leaders such as Narendra Modi or Amit Shah, and safe storage for flags, posters and hoardings. Asked about promising areas, he named North Bengal, Jangalmahal and Nadia.

What happened next

In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly election the Trinamool Congress won 215 seats and the BJP 77, and Mamata Banerjee remained Chief Minister.

See also: Bharatiya Janata Party and Elections.

Originally published on 15 September 2018. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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