Amit Shah sets target: Must win 21 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal

Kolkata: Kick-starting his two-day West Bengal tour, BJP president Amit Shah has set a target before the party's state leadership. The target is of winning fifty per cent of the 42 Lok Sabha (LS) seats in the state 'without fail' in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. 

He also ruled out any understanding with the Trinamool Congress which already has 34 MPs out of the 42 in sharp contrast to the BJP's tally of only two seats: Asansol and Darjeeling. 

On Wednesday afternoon, Shah arrived at the Kolkata Airport where he was greeted by state BJP president Dilip Ghosh and other leaders. 

Shah later held a crucial meeting with them on the election management at the guest house of the Kolkata Port Trust. Apart from Ghosh, senior BJP leaders Mukul Roy and Rahul Sinha, Union minister Babul Supriyo, Rajya Sabha MP Roopa Ganguly were among those who were present. 

At the meeting he made it clear that the BJP has to win at least 21 Lok Sabha constituencies without fail in 2019 and no excuse would be entertained for failure, sources said. 

On the question of any political equation with the Trinamool ahead of the LS polls, Shah affirmed that there was no need of any negotiation, sources elaborated.

The BJP president also wanted to know from the state leadership about the places where the party workers were attacked and the possible reasons behind the attacks. 

He also discussed the factors which earned the party success in other areas including Jangalmahal. Once the meeting concluded, Shah travelled to Sarat Sadan in Howrah where he held another meeting with the social media team of the state BJP to chalk out the party's online campaigns. 

On Thursday, he will travel to Purulia, a district in Jangalmahal which has seen a significant rise in the BJP's vote bank and where three BJP workers were allegedly killed by Trinamool-backed miscreants. The BJP chief is also scheduled to address a rally at Balarampur on Thursday.