Union Home Minister Amit Shah reached Kolkata on Monday evening, months ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections, for a three-day visit to the state.
After landing in the city, Shah posted on social media: “West Bengal is fully prepared for change. I have arrived in Kolkata on a three-day visit to West Bengal. I am overwhelmed by the love and affection shown by party workers and supporters at the airport.”
Shah was received at the airport by BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya and Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. From there, he went to the BJP’s state headquarters in Salt Lake for the first time, where he held two key meetings.
According to senior party leaders, Shah first met top state BJP functionaries, followed by a smaller meeting with around 10 central and state leaders. Those present included state party president Samik Bhattacharya, Leader of Bengal Assembly Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, Sukanta Majumdar, Locket Chatterjee, Biplab Deb, Sunil Bansal, Amit Malviya and Bhupendra Yadav, among others.
On Tuesday, Shah is scheduled to hold meetings with members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP’s core committee. On Wednesday, he will attend two crucial meetings: one with BJP MLAs and another with booth-level workers from all 144 wards of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. He is also slated to visit Thanthania Kalibari to offer prayers.
According to party sources, the focus of the marathon meetings held after Shah’s arrival was on the Matua and Rajbanshi communities, which play a key role in the BJP’s electoral strategy in Bengal. With a large number of Matua names reportedly omitted from the draft list prepared under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, discussions centred on the issue and possible ways to address it.
Shah also discussed the BJP’s strategy to counter Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, particularly in the context of her recent outreach to Hindu voters, including the inauguration of the Jagannath temple in Digha and the foundation stone-laying ceremony for Durgangan in New Town.
With the SIR process underway, Shah took stock of how the state unit plans to address concerns related to the revision exercise and its possible impact on the BJP’s prospects. According to a senior BJP leader, Shah also sought an assessment of the party’s organisational position in the state. He reviewed developments following the membership drive, organisational elections, the state president’s election and booth-level strengthening.
Shah also discussed ongoing roadshows, including the response they are receiving, whether local issues are being highlighted and the overall ground situation. He inquired about the party’s plans from January onwards for the central leadership’s campaign in the state and the broader electoral strategy.
He was also briefed on the proposed Rath Yatra, including the planned routes, expected public response, potential advantages and possible challenges.
Home Minister Amit Shah at a press conference in Kolkata. (Express photo by Partha Paul) 
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