The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appears set to go solo in the upcoming civic elections in West Bengal, despite growing indications from its ally at the Centre, the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), that it wants to contest the polls alongside the saffron party. The contrasting positions have brought the relationship between the two parties under the spotlight ahead of the municipal elections, which are likely to be held in December. While the NCPI wants its partnership with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre to extend to Bengal, the BJP's state leadership has made it clear that it is preparing to fight the civic polls on its own.
BJP signals independent strategy for Bengal civic polls
BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya on Wednesday said the party would contest the municipal elections on its own strength and seek to form civic boards with "massive public support". His remarks effectively rule out any immediate seat-sharing arrangement with the NCPI, at least at the current stage of preparations.
Bhattacharya also stressed that the BJP's political growth in West Bengal had come without relying on another party. He said the party had fought elections independently and eventually managed to come to power in the state. "The BJP has fought elections in West Bengal on its own strength and come to power. Not through anyone's favour, not through anyone's blessings, and not by diluting any ideology," he said, as per PTI.
Why NCPI wants to fight Bengal civic polls with BJP
The BJP's position comes at a time when senior NCPI leaders have been publicly advocating an electoral understanding with the party. Former TMC MPs Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who recently broke away from the Trinamool Congress and aligned themselves with the NCPI, have indicated that the fledgling party could contest the Bengal civic elections in alliance with the BJP.
Ghosh Dastidar had argued that the NCPI's position as an NDA constituent at the Centre should translate into an alliance during elections in West Bengal. "We are the largest coalition member of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. Hence, during the elections, we will contest as members of the NDA. So, we will have to form a coalition with the BJP. We will take a decision when the election approaches, but there is every possibility there will be a coalition," she had said. Bandyopadhyay has also said that he held preliminary discussions with the chief minister on the issue.
BJP says NCPI's Delhi alliance cannot automatically apply to Bengal
Bhattacharya sought to draw a distinction between the political arrangement in Delhi and the BJP's electoral strategy in West Bengal. "NCPI is a new party that has been formed. They contested the elections on the Trinamool symbol and, somehow, emerged victorious. They have joined the NDA and have been welcomed. But that is in Delhi, which is nearly 1,500 kilometres away. It will take time for them to reach Kolkata," Bhattacharya said.
The statement underlines the BJP's apparent reluctance to allow its national-level alliance equations to dictate its strategy in Bengal. For the BJP's state unit, the municipal elections are particularly significant because they offer an opportunity to consolidate the party's electoral gains at the grassroots level.
BJP focusing on all 209 Kolkata wards
Union minister Sukanta Majumdar also avoided committing to any possible BJP-NCPI alliance. Instead, he said the BJP was currently focused on preparing for all 209 wards of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
The emphasis on individual ward-level preparation indicates that the BJP is currently prioritising its own organisational machinery rather than depending on a prospective seat-sharing formula. The municipal contest will be closely watched as the first major electoral test in West Bengal after the BJP's dramatic Assembly victory in May, when it ended the TMC's 15-year rule and won 208 of the 294 Assembly seats.
West Bengal has 128 civic bodies
Preparations for the civic elections have already begun as the State Election Commission has held a meeting with district magistrates and district municipal election officers from six districts as part of the preparations.
West Bengal has 128 civic bodies, including seven municipal corporations. These are Kolkata, Siliguri, Asansol, Durgapur, Howrah, Bidhannagar and Chandannagar. The scale of the local body elections makes them an important test for all major political parties, particularly after the state's recent political upheaval.
TMC faces first major test after Assembly defeat
The civic polls will also give the Trinamool Congress its first major opportunity to measure its organisational recovery after its defeat in the Assembly elections. The TMC's loss of power was followed by a major political rupture in Parliament, with 20 of its Lok Sabha MPs breaking ranks with the party and aligning themselves with the NCPI. The rebel group has since attempted to position itself as an alternative political force within the broader anti-TMC space. However, the NCPI's emergence has also triggered an institutional battle over the status of the rebel MPs.
(With inputs from PTI)
Also Read:
West Bengal govt takes big step, 'Janata Darbar' to be held twice a week at offices
