Shah lands in Kolkata to attend Puja; BJP appoints Bhupendra Yadav as poll in-charge

Shah will first inaugurate the Durga Puja at Santosh Mitra Square, whose theme this year is “Operation Sindoor” — the military offensive India launched on May 7 in response to the April 22 terrorist attacks at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. The pandal will beam images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Indian Air Force and Colonel Sophiya Qureshi of the Indian Army, who briefed the media during the offensive and became the faces of India’s military response against Pakistan.

BJP leader Sajal Ghosh, the chief organiser of Santosh Mitra Square Puja, said: “I do not wish to tie the Puja with elections. He (Shah) is our leader, our pride. We want someone like him. We are happy that he is coming.”

The political significance of Shah’s visit cannot be ignored. Just before Shah landed in Kolkata, the BJP’s central leadership announced Union minister Bhupender Yadav, a key OBC face and one of the most seasoned poll manager of the party, as its in-charge for the Assembly elections in West Bengal. Former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb has been appointed the co-incharge for West Bengal.

On Friday, Shah is likely to visit the Kalighat Kali Temple to offer prayers and seek blessings of Goddess Kali.  In the evening, he is likely to inaugurate the Durga Puja organised by the BJP at the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre , an annual event of the party’s Bengal unit.

In recent months, the ruling TMC has accused the Centre of being “anti-Bengali,” alleging that Bengalis working in other states are being deported to Bangladesh. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, meanwhile, has already begun inaugurating Puja pandals across the state. — WITH PTI

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