BJP chief may take a rath for West Bengal elections

New Delhi: BJP president J.P. Nadda is likely to launch a rath yatra in poll-bound West Bengal on February 5. Mr Nadda, who completed one year as the BJP president on Wednesday, is likely to launch this yatra from North Bengal. The BJP is expected to launch five such raths (chariots) from different regions of the state, with Union home minister Amit Shah scheduled to launch a similar “parivartan rath yatra” on February 10.

These raths will cover all the 294 Assembly constituencies of the state.

Crucial Assembly polls in the TMC-ruled state are scheduled in April and the BJP has been promising “Asol Poribortan (real change)” in the state while highlighting “mis-governance” under Mamata Banerjee and how development indicators in the state are on a downward spiral.

Nadda also held a meeting of the party’s general secretaries at the BJP headquarters to review various issues, including West Bengal polls. Meanwhile, exodus from the TMC continued with its leader and Santipur MLA Arindam Bhattacharya joining the BJP fold at the party headquarters Wednesday.

Bhattacharya joined the BJP in the presence of the party’s state in-charge Kailash Vijayvargiya who had last week claimed that at least 41 TMC MLAs want to join the BJP.

On completing one year in office, Nadda thanked the party's cadre for their dedication and hard work during the Covid-19 lockdown and assisting people in hostile situations, including in Opposition-ruled states like West Bengal and Kerala.

Paying homage to 300 party workers and cadres who lost their lives allegedly to political killings in West Bengal, Nadda said “Lotus will bloom in the state” and urged the party cadres to work to make the BJP win in Tamil Nadu and Kerala as well.