Kolkata, March 18 (NationPress) After enduring a lengthy period of internal conflicts within the party, veteran BJP leader Dilip Ghosh is back in the spotlight as the party has chosen him to contest from his favored Kharagpur Sadar constituency in the West Midnapore district for the forthcoming Assembly elections.

During a morning stroll with reporters on Wednesday, he set an ambitious goal of securing 100,000 votes and directed his criticism towards the Trinamool Congress.

As he kicked off his campaign, Ghosh expressed confidence in the support from the Kharagpur electorate, downplaying the significance of his competitors.

He remarked, "I have participated in elections twice and emerged victorious both times. The BJP consistently wins here. Our challenge is not against any individual candidate; rather, it is against the TMC as a whole. Historically, Kharagpur has seen low voter turnout; this time, we aim to secure 100,000 votes."

Ghosh also criticized the Trinamool Congress regarding their candidate selections, stating, "Mamata Banerjee is in a precarious position. Why else would she expel 74 sitting MLAs from her candidate list? Previously, she would field anyone and declare, 'I am the candidate for all 294 seats.' Those days are behind her. She can no longer present herself as a paragon of integrity; her party has become synonymous with corruption."

The former BJP MP added, "Mamata Banerjee is so confused that she can't even identify her opponents—will she clash with the Election Commission, the courts, or the Central Forces? It's a dire situation, and change is unavoidable." In response, Trinamool leader Jayprakash Majumdar has countered Ghosh's remarks.

It is noteworthy that Dilip Ghosh was instrumental in elevating the BJP's stature in West Bengal. However, in recent years, his relationship with the party had been strained due to internal disputes between established members and newer entrants.

He previously won the Kharagpur Sadar seat in 2016 but later vacated it to run for Lok Sabha from the Medinipur constituency in 2019. Kharagpur Sadar is one of the Assembly segments within the Medinipur Lok Sabha seat. In 2024, he was reassigned to the Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha seat, where he unfortunately lost. This resulted in his sidelining within the party.

Despite multiple visits from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Kolkata for rallies, Ghosh was notably absent from invitations to these events, which he publicly lamented. The party, however, faced setbacks by sidelining him. Consequently, as the 2026 Assembly elections approach, Amit Shah has taken steps to reconcile with Ghosh. The initial list of candidates revealing Ghosh's candidacy for Kharagpur Sadar indicates a renewal of his standing within the party.