Union home minister Amit Shah’s two-day trip to Bengal, which was scheduled to start on Sunday, was postponed at the last minute amid murmurs from several quarters that the No. 2 in the Narendra Modi government would be busy overseeing possible political developments in Bihar.
Sources who did not want to be identified said that a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Bihar with Nitish Kumar at the helm might be sworn in as early as on Sunday amid reports that the Bihar chief minister is likely to formally join hands with the BJP.
“The two-day trip has been postponed for the time being.... The office of Amit Shah ji informed us that the trip would be rescheduled,” said a BJP leader while adding that the changing situation in Bihar has prompted Shah to tweak his travel plan.
A senior BJP leader said that the possibility of an NDA government with Nitish Kumar at the helm — a repeat of the 2019 scenario that was orchestrated by Shah — is almost a certainty in Bihar. The move helped the saffron ecosystem bag a total of 39 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
“In 2019, Shah was the mastermind to ensure the inclusion of Kumar and his party in the NDA, which produced stellar results for the alliance. It seems that he is planning similar moves this time,” said another BJP leader.
When asked to officially explain the reasons behind the change in Shah’s plans, the Bengal unit of the BJP did not offer any specific reason.
BJP Bengal president Sukanta Majumdar hinted at “developments in national politics”.
“There are so many developments taking place in national politics and that’s why we think his trip in Bengal has been postponed for the time being.... The visit will be rescheduled but we are yet to know the dates. There is a possibility that the trip may take place after the board exams are over,” said Majumdar.
According to his proposed travel plan, Shah was scheduled to reach Calcutta on Sunday night and head an organisational meeting at a New Town hotel with senior BJP leaders. On Monday, he was scheduled to visit Barasat to discuss the organisational state of affairs in four Lok Sabha seats in North 24 Parganas.
On Monday afternoon, the Union home minister was expected to attend a public meeting with party workers and supporters of four Lok Sabha seats in East and West Midnapore.
In the evening, he had planned to head a meeting with party leaders and functionaries of North and South Calcutta.
“Sunday’s scheduled visit of Amit Shah ji was very important as he was scheduled to assess our party’s organisational situation in 10 Lok Sabha seats out of 42 in Bengal. However, now that the Madhyamik examination will start on February 2 and continue till February 12, he cannot hold any public meetings even if he comes to Bengal.... So, we can expect that his next trip to this state will not be before February 12,” said a state BJP leader.
Shah, in April last year, had set a goal for Bengal BJP leaders to ensure victory in 35 seats out of 42 in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The target is around double the 18 seats that the saffron camp had got in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
“Amit-ji is the main man in terms of deciding our party's election strategy.... The postponement of Amit-ji's trip now means further delay in finalising our Lok Sabha election strategy for our state,” said a BJP source in Bengal.
