BJP not fighting to win seats but to establish govt in Bengal: Swapan Dasgupta
Dasgupta, an academic from Oxford’s Nuffield College, a columnist and an ideologue of Hindutva nationalism, admits that his openly urban personality makes him “better suited” to Rashbehari, a constituency where he and his extended family are based.
The former BJP Rajya Sabha member unsuccessfully contested from the rural Tarakeswar seat in the 2021 assembly elections, where he lost to his nearest TMC rival by a slim margin of just over 7,000 votes.
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“For me, Rashbehari is a constituency on my doorstep. It is a seat whose boundaries are constantly changing, but my entire family is away from here. It has a diverse mix of being home to some of Kolkata’s richest people as well as some of the city’s poorest,” Dasgupta explained to PTI in an interview. Dasgupta explained to PTI in an interview.
“The iconic Kali temple in Kalighat is located here. But what makes this seat important in terms of electoral prestige is that it borders Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s own division, Bhabanipur, from which our leader Suvendu Adhikari will challenge her this time,” he said.
According to Dasgupta, the Rashbehari seat, which has been a TMC stronghold since 1998, is an “extremely tough proposition” and is likely to face fierce resistance from its main opposition there. “But times may have changed in terms of the BJP’s poll prospects here,” he claimed.
“We will do our best in both Bhabanipur and Rashbehari and the synergy of the two will be to our advantage,” he said.
Dasgupta said south Kolkata may have remained a TMC stronghold, but this time the BJP is determined to overcome it.
“We are not making cheap claims, but I believe we can capitalize on the general disgust of the people and reverse the stagnation and decline caused by the last 15 years of TMC rule in Bengal,” he said.
Dasgupta said his supporters are hugely excited this time and hope to live up to the expectations of those who want to bring about a change in Bengal.
The BJP leader said, “This time we are not fighting just to win seats. This time we are fighting to form our own government. There is a difference.”
Dasgupta compared his party’s position in the state in the 2021 elections with its current situation and stated that “BJP has come of age” in the state.
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“Although we did our best in 2021 and put our best energy into the contest, there were some gaps in our approach. The party was still evolving. I think we have now reached a critical point where we can take on greater responsibilities and emerge as the real alternative to the TMC. We are now a government in waiting,” he said.
If she wins the contest, Dasgupta said he will table a “crime-free and healthy political environment” for Rashbehari, in line with the BJP’s overall governance vision for the state.
“I want to bring sober, responsible and honest politics to my elections, so that people do not have to worry about gangsters and criminals roaming freely here and crude bombs being thrown at the slightest provocation,” he said.
Dasgupta said that his academic background allows him to better understand people’s positives and reach out to them with a sense of humility, accepting that there may be perspectives different from his own.
“You can run a club and exclude people from its sphere of influence. But the appeal of electoral politics lies in its inclusive experience where you bring everyone together to support you and be part of a larger process. As long as I keep an open mind to many issues and try to address them with a degree of sincerity, I can help build that,” he said.
When it came to contesting in a constituency represented by Trinamool Congress’ senior ministers like Shovandeb Chattopadhyay and civic boss Debasish Kumar, who has wielded considerable influence in the region in recent times, Dasgupta appeared unperturbed towards his rivals.
“I am confident that TMC has a wealth of experience in running its show from Rashbehari seat. I am not worried about the candidate I am pitting against. We will combine our local campaign with our statewide political discourse and reach out to our voters,” he said.
