BJP will not project CM face in Bengal, will seek votes in Modi’s name: Samik

Amid speculations about the Prime Ministerial face of the BJP in the West Bengal Assembly polls, State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said the party has not taken any decision on the issue and will instead seek votes on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his “development agenda”.

Mr. Bhattacharya said the BJP does not distinguish between “organic” and “inorganic” leaders and “whoever people identify as a fighter against TMC’s misrule can become the face of the party after winning the polls.”

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Citing the Assembly polls as the BJP’s direct war against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the TMC’s “appeasement policies”, Mr. Bhattacharya asserted that the party will not project any CM face and will instead seek votes in the name of Modi and his “development agenda” and will also pursue a policy of “detection, detention and deportation” against infiltrators if voted to power.

In an interview with PTI, Bhattacharya refused to give a direct answer on whether the BJP’s decision to field Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur meant fielding him as the party’s chief ministerial candidate.

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“BJP does not show anyone as the prime ministerial candidate. Who did the BJP project as the face in Delhi and Haryana? We did not do it. But we won. The same happened in Odisha. Who did we show as the face? We did not fight with a single face in these elections,” he said.

Pressed on whether Mr. Adhikari’s nomination from Mamata Banerjee’s small district of Bhabanipur actually made him the face of the BJP in the election, Mr. Bhattacharya said the leadership decision would rest entirely with the party’s parliamentary caucus and central leadership.

“If they choose someone in the next few days and decide to fight under that person, that will be their decision. But there is no such decision right now and I don’t think there will be,” he said.

He said the BJP would instead seek votes on behalf of Modi.

“We are contesting the elections by putting forward ‘vikas purush’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the man of development that people from Kashmir to Kanyakumari trust, and seeking votes on the basis of belief in his vision,” Mr. Bhattacharya said.

But he left a small window open, saying senior leadership was free to make a different call later.

The BJP leader said his party would get a “comfortable majority” in the elections but refused to specify figures or say whether it would cross the two-thirds mark.

Mr. Bhattacharya made it clear that the decision to field Mr. Adhikari in Bhabanipur was intended to directly challenge Ms. Banerjee on her home turf.

“Everyone can understand this. This is a direct challenge,” he said.

Recalling the bitter political battle between Ms Banerjee and Mr Adhikari in Nandigram in 2021, Mr Bhattacharya said the BJP wanted to test the TMC’s claim that Banerjee lost there only due to “load shedding”.

“The opposition leader was suspended from the assembly for a total of 11 months in the last five years. His family was attacked. His victory was called ‘load shedding victory’. Even then we said: If you think we won in Nandigram due to load shedding, then show your strength by coming ahead in that segment in the Lok Sabha elections. They did not get the lead there,” he said.

Stating the priorities of the BJP if it comes to power, Mr. Bhattacharya said that the first task will be to establish the rule of law.

“First of all, establish the rule of law in the state. Secondly, ensure that there is no post-election violence, because we believe that after TMC loses power, its workers will start killing each other. We do not want this. Thirdly, create an environment conducive to investment.”

On infiltration, which he described as the BJP’s “core problem”, Mr Bhattacharya said the party’s policy would be simple: “Identify, detain and deport infiltrators from West Bengal”.

He has repeatedly cast this month’s election as not just a contest between the BJP and the ruling TMC, but a determined civilizational battle not only “for the existence of Bengali Hindus but also for nationalist, rational Muslims”.

Mr. Bhattacharya also tried to refute allegations that the BJP is trying to impose ‘Hindi-Hindu-Hindustan’ and vegetarian culture on West Bengal.

“Bengalis cannot live without fish. Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s party does not need to prove whether we are Bengalis or not,” he said.

Taking a strong stance against allegations of assault on judicial officers posted in the SIR in Malda, Mr. Bhattacharya said he still had confidence in the ECI to ensure free and fair elections in the state.

“This is a commitment from them (EC) that they will hold a free, fair and bloodless election. A constitutional authority is now being challenged in West Bengal. I think the guardians of the constitution should intervene immediately.” he said.

Dismissing Ms. Banerjee’s claim that the BJP wanted to impose President’s Rule in the State, Bhattacharya said the party could have done it years ago if it wanted to.

“If the BJP had wanted to impose President’s Rule, this government could have been dismissed seven years ago. But we do not support it in principle. Mamata Banerjee will be defeated by the people’s vote,” he said.

Bhattacharya said the BJP’s message to Muslims, who constitute around 30 per cent of the electorate and have hardly voted for the saffron camp in the last few polls, is to “be included in the mainstream of national life”, educate children and reject appeasement policies.

It was published – 05 April 2026 12:39 IST