Shah Targets 20 Kolkata Seats for BJP In 2026
On Wednesday, Mr Shah chaired ‘Kolkata Mahanagar Workers Meeting’ of his party at the Science City auditorium in the afternoon. BJP Mandal and Booth level functionaries of four Kolkata-centric Lok Sabha constituencies– Dum Dum, Kolkata North, Kolkata South and Jadavpur– attended it along with others.
Kolkata: A day after reiterating the BJP’s target of securing a two-thirds majority in the West Bengal Assembly elections next year, Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday set another ambitious goal for party leaders: winning at least 20 Assembly seats in and around Kolkata. He also brought back senior leader Dilip Ghosh to the party’s mainstream, projecting him as one of the key faces for the 2026 poll battle.
Shah chaired the ‘Kolkata Mahanagar Workers’ Meeting’ at the Science City auditorium in the afternoon. BJP mandal- and booth-level functionaries from four Kolkata-centric Lok Sabha constituencies, Dum Dum, Kolkata North, Kolkata South and Jadavpur, attended the meeting. According to sources, Shah urged party workers to aim for at least 20 of the 28 Assembly seats in these areas in the forthcoming elections.
All these seats have been held by the Trinamul Congress since 2011, largely due to its strong organisational network and vote base. However, a section of BJP leaders said the target was set keeping in mind the party’s lead over the TMC in two Assembly segments, Shyampukur and Jorasanko, under the Kolkata North Lok Sabha constituency in the last parliamentary elections.
They pointed out that in the remaining 26 Assembly segments under Dum Dum, Kolkata South and Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituencies, the BJP finished second behind the TMC in the 2024 elections. If this trend is strengthened, it could yield results in the Assembly polls next year, leaders said.
Earlier in the day, Shah held a closed-door meeting with BJP MLAs and MPs from the State, along with senior leaders including Dilip Ghosh and former parliamentarians Arjun Singh, Locket Chatterjee and Subhas Sarkar, at a hotel in Salt Lake. He reportedly directed MLAs to spend at least four days a week in their constituencies and address five rallies a day over the next two months to prove their performance for ticket consideration.
Shah also projected Ghosh as one of the BJP’s main faces in the electoral battle, citing his earlier stint as State BJP president and his experience as an MLA and MP. Ghosh had been sidelined for several months after attending the inauguration of Jagannath Dham in Digha on the invitation of Trinamool Congress supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Responding to questions about his return to the party’s centrestage, Ghosh said he had been invited to share his experience and views, adding that he would play an active role in the upcoming elections.
Before leaving the city, Shah visited the Thanthania Kali Bari in north Kolkata and offered prayers.