Is Samik Bhattacharya the Next Chief of Bengal BJP?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Samik Bhattacharya is set to become the new West Bengal BJP chief.
- He replaces Sukanta Majumdar, who has taken a Union Minister role.
- Bhattacharya's appointment is expected to be unopposed.
- He has less than a year to prepare for the assembly elections.
- Effective collaboration with the opposition will be crucial for organizational success.
Kolkata, July 2 (NationPress) As the deadline for submission, examination, and retraction of nominations passed at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, BJP’s Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya is poised to take the helm as the new party chief in West Bengal, being the sole candidate to file his nomination.
Bhattacharya will succeed his predecessor, Sukanta Majumdar, who currently serves as a Union Minister of State.
Although his appointment has yet to be officially confirmed, he is expected to be elected unopposed, with an announcement anticipated on Thursday.
Ravi Shankar Prasad, the BJP’s central election observer for West Bengal, will officially present Bhattacharya with the certificate of his election as the state party president.
According to sources within the BJP, Bhattacharya recently met with party president J.P. Nadda at his residence in New Delhi on June 30, where he was informed that he was the preferred choice of the party's central leadership for the state president role in West Bengal.
Bhattacharya faces the significant challenge of leading the party into the upcoming and pivotal West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled for next year, with less than a year to prepare for the polls.
However, he enjoys a notable advantage due to his effective collaboration with the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, which political analysts believe will aid in organizational decision-making without fostering internal disputes.
As a two-time BJP Lok Sabha member representing Balurghat in South Dinajpur district, Bhattacharya’s ascension to state president follows the recent appointment of Sukanta Majumdar to the Union Ministry, adhering to the party's principle of 'one person, one post.'
Majumdar previously became the state president of the BJP in West Bengal, taking over from former Lok Sabha member Dilip Ghosh after the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections.