Suvendu frontrunner for Bengal CM, swearing-in likely May 9
No vandalisation, party tells cadre after victory; Suvendu Adhikari, frontrunner for CM post, promises "secure, developed state"
BJP supporters apply 'gulal' amid celebrations during vote tabulation on the day of West Bengal Assembly election results (PTI) Giant-killer Suvendu Adhikari, who spearheaded the BJP’s ground offensive in West Bengal that breached the TMC citadel to end Mamata Banerjee’s 15-year rule, has emerged as the frontrunner for the post of Chief Minister.
Hailing the party’s election victory as “a triumph for every patriotic nationalist and every BJP worker,” Adhikari, who defeated Banerjee in Bhabanipur and also won from Nandigram, said Tuesday that the BJP was committed to “a developed, prosperous and secure West Bengal”.
BJP sources said Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who has been named the party’s central observer for the election of the leader of the legislature party, is likely to leave for Kolkata Thursday. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will be the co-observer for the election.
In New Delhi Tuesday, BJP national president Nitin Nabin chaired a meeting of general secretaries at the party headquarters in which preparations for the swearing-in ceremonies were discussed.
While BJP leaders from West Bengal joined the meeting via virtual mode, Sunil Bansal, BJP national general secretary in-charge of West Bengal, flew in from Kolkata to join the meeting.
Party sources indicated that the swearing-in ceremony could be held on May 9, which coincides with Pochishe Boishakh, the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore. The venue is still to be finalised. Sources said the date for the swearing-in was a suggestion from Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he addressed the party’s victory rally in New Delhi Monday.
Adhikari tops the list of names being discussed for the post of Chief Minister. While the party leadership has, in the recent past, picked surprise names for the post in states such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha and Delhi, the case of West Bengal, a party leader said, could be different.
“Adhikari has been the aggressive face of the BJP for the last few years. Our fight to remove the TMC culture from the state will continue. The party needs a strong and combative face as a leader connected to the ground. Adhikari knows the TMC and its culture very well,” the leader said.
BJP chief Nabin, who visited the Kali Bari temple in Chittaranjan Park in New Delhi, later said, “The prayer is that Maa Kali’s blessings remain upon all the citizens of the country and that we continue to move forward steadfastly with complete devotion towards the creation of a Viksit Bharat.”
In Kolkata, Adhikari held a series of meetings at the party office in Salt Lake. Those present there included Bansal and Bhupender Yadav.
It is learnt that at the meetings, the leaders, including Adhikari, Samik Bhattacharya and Dilip Ghosh, discussed the blueprint for the tasks on hand once the BJP government takes charge. Portfolio allocation, implementation of schemes, including Central schemes, also figured in the discussions, sources said.
According to sources, the new government will work from the Writers’ Buildings but given the renovation work, seating arrangements will be worked out. Sources said a plan has been sought from the PWD and also from the police regarding the security.
Meanwhile, the family of a TMC worker, Abir Sheikh, who was found dead in Nanoor in Birbhum, said he was hacked to death by BJP workers. A large police contingent cordoned off the area Tuesday.
The BJP, on the other hand, said one of its workers, Yadav Bor, was killed by men linked to the TMC while he was celebrating the party’s poll victory in Udaynarayanpur in Howrah Tuesday. Police said Bor was dragged away by a group and attacked with sharp weapons. An arrest had been made, police said.
Tension mounted in several parts of the state after the TMC said there had been widespread attacks on its offices and workers following its defeat in the elections.
The BJP instructed its district presidents and party workers not to allow vandalisation of offices of rival parties.
“A strong message has been sent to all that there should not be any post-poll violence in the state. We do not want any such incident. We believe in development, not in vandalism,” a senior party leader said.
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