Bengal Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday requested the national leaders of the BJP to ensure the deployment of central forces during the ensuing panchayat polls.

Adhikari’s plea, according to BJP sources, yet again demonstrated the party’s growing dependence on the central leadership as its organisation at the grassroots continued to weaken. Adhikari reportedly made the request before the BJP’s newly appointed minder for Bengal, Mangal Pandey, at a closed-door meeting here.

“Suvenduda made two requests. First, he wanted deployment of central forces during the rural polls and second, he said rigging of votes at the counting centre must be checked,” said BJP MLA Bankim Ghosh.

The saffron camp has seen a nosedive in its political support in Bengal since the 2021 Assembly elections. In the subsequent polls, Left parties, which have no representation in the Assembly, have performed better than the BJP. While the dip in its electoral support has been blamed on alleged violence by the Trinamul Congress, BJP sources have said repeatedly that the party leadership has failed to reboot its organisation.

At the meeting on Sunday, Pandey reportedly said he expected the BJP to perform better in the panchayat elections since it has 16 MPs and 70 MLAs right now. At this point, Adhikari intervened and said the party could win 25,000 to 30,000 panchayat seats, if it receives help from the central leadership.

“Pandeyji was of the opinion that the BJP’s vote share in the state has increased. Suvenduda acknowledged the fact but what he said clearly meant that the party was incapable of translating the support into votes without the help of central forces,” a source present at the meeting said.

In 2018, the BJP had won 6,570 out of a total of 58,692 seats in the three-tier panchayat system. However, in one of the most violent rural polls in the state, the Trinamul Congress had won 34 per cent of the seats uncontested. The Opposition had accused the ruling party of using violence to stop rival candidates from filing nominations.

Sunday’s meeting was also joined by Asha Lakra, the new co-minder for Bengal, and the central in-charge for the state, Sunil Bansal. State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar told reporters that if needed, the BJP would move court for central forces.

Bansal and Lakra visited multiple BJP workers who were allegedly thrashed by police during the party’s march to Nabanna on September 13. Lakra said no BJP worker was involved in beating up the police or setting a police vehicle ablaze. According to her, it was the handiwork of Trinamul workers. The allegation has been rejected by Trinamul leaders.