West Bengal

IIE DIGITAL DESK : Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently convened a key strategy session with West Bengal BJP leadership in Delhi, where he effectively outlined the party’s road map for the 2026 Assembly polls. He counseled state leaders—including president Samik Bhattacharya and national general secretary Sunil Bansal—on a multi‑pronged campaign approach focused on electoral roll integrity, cultural messaging and women’s safety awareness .

A major component of Shah’s directive was to rigorously prepare for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, an exercise already underway in Bihar and drawing national attention. The BJP views SIR as essential to removing duplicate, deceased and alleged “ineligible” entries, and thereby countering opposition claims of inflated rolls favoring the ruling TMC. Shah reportedly urged the state unit to establish strong booth-level communication during the process to avoid confusion or fear among voters . The Trinamool has decried SIR as “silent intensive rigging” potentially tied to the NRC, with its MP Mahua Moitra petitioning the Supreme Court against the exercise .

Shah also stressed the importance of countering the TMC’s narrative that the BJP is anti‑Bengali or hostile to the Bangla language. He emphasized that the party’s campaign must clearly convey opposition is directed at infiltration—not at native Bengali speakers. This became particularly relevant when Mamata Banerjee launched a statewide “Bhasha Andolon” on July 27 to highlight alleged linguistic profiling of Bangla‑speaking individuals under BJP rule in other states . At the meeting, BJP leaders resolved to actively combat misinformation through grassroots outreach and public messaging, rejecting the label of being outsiders in the cultural landscape of Bengal.

Women’s safety was another pillar of Shah’s campaign strategy. The leadership agreed to foreground this issue, citing recent high-profile cases such as the RG Kar rape‑murder incident and an alleged assault at a Kolkata law college, where a TMC‑affiliated student leader is accused. These episodes were identified as opportunities to contrast perceived lawlessness under the incumbent state government with BJP’s promise of security and justice .

The meeting further touched upon inclusive politics, with a focus on communicating BJP's development initiatives for SC/ST communities to marginalized voters. A senior attendee recalled the directive to highlight central government welfare programmes tailored to these groups, positioning the BJP as a partner in social upliftment . At the same time, leaders were instructed to strengthen booth-level organization ahead of the SIR exercise—ensuring volunteers could deliver the party’s messaging effectively and prevent misinformation from spreading at the ground level .

All these efforts were framed as part of a concerted drive to build momentum ahead of the high-stakes West Bengal assembly election expected by March–April 2026. With BJP currently holding 77 assembly seats versus TMC’s dominant tally and eyeing a substantial increase, central guidance—particularly from Shah—is presented as critical to translating organizational strength into electoral gains .

Amit Shah’s counsel appears to solidify the BJP’s election playbook in Bengal: a voter roll cleansing campaign to remove alleged irregularities, a cultural defence against accusations of anti-Bengali bias, a women’s safety narrative to challenge TMC governance, and focused outreach to both core and marginalized voter groups. The intent is to ensure the BJP’s messaging resonates at the grassroots, especially during sensitive phases like the SIR, while presenting a sharpened contest-ready face ahead of the next assembly polls.