The BJP restructured several organisational district units in Bengal in order to strengthen the party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year.

Of the 16 new district unit chiefs, five are MLAs. The move indicates the growing clout of the leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, in organisational matters, said BJP sources.

A notice issued on Saturday evening lists the names of all 43 organisational district presidents. Although most of the old presidents remain unchanged, units such as Siliguri, Alipurduar, Barasat, Bongaon, Barrackpore, Calcutta South, Howrah (town), Tamluk, Contai and Asansol will have new chiefs.

The party’s chief whip in the Assembly, Manoj Tigga, was appointed as the president of the Alipurduar unit. Haldia MLA Tapasi Mondal is now the president of the Tamluk organisational district unit, while Contai South MLA Arup Kumar Das will now head the Contai unit. Onda MLA Amarnath Sakha is the Bishnupur unit chief, and Pursura MLA Biman Ghosh is the new chief of the Arambagh unit.

“There were three MLAs doubling as organisational district heads. Now, there are seven. All of them are close to Suvenduda. His clout in the organisation is clearly increasing,” a state BJP office-bearer said.

Cooch Behar North MLA Sukumar Roy is already in charge of the Cooch Behar district organisational unit, and Ranaghat Northeast MLA Parthasarathi Chatterjee heads the Nadia South unit.

Central leaders of the saffron camp have often frowned upon the differences of opinion between Adhikari and state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar. The former had privately alleged that he was kept out of the organisational decisions, and had demanded a bigger say in the decision-making. With his loyalists taking over as district presidents, sources said, Adhikari will now enjoy more authority.

“The changes were made with the Lok Sabha polls in mind.... In the BJP, after a certain time, office-bearers are changed,” said Adhikari.