Kolkata: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to visit Kolkata on October 24 to devise the BJP’s strategy for the upcoming bypolls in six Assembly constituencies in West Bengal next month. According to a member of the state BJP committee, Shah’s visit aims to finalize election strategies and provide specific guidelines to boost the party’s membership in the state.
On the same day of his arrival, Shah plans to meet with elected MPs and MLAs as well as top party leaders from West Bengal. The bypolls are significant for both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP, particularly in light of the protests following the tragic rape and murder of a junior doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in August.
The BJP’s membership drive has been on hold for two months due to the fallout from the R.G. Kar incident, and the party is now awaiting guidance from Shah regarding both the membership campaign and the upcoming elections.
The bypolls, scheduled for November 13, will take place in Sitai (Cooch Behar), Madarihat (Alipurduar), Naihati and Haroa (North 24 Parganas), Medinipur (West Midnapore), and Taldangra (Bankura). Counting of the votes will occur on November 23. All six constituencies became vacant after the sitting MLAs were elected to the Lok Sabha earlier this year, with the Trinamool Congress having won five out of these seats in the 2021 Assembly elections, while the Madarihat seat was held by the BJP.