BJP had a poor show in LS polls as it didn’t have acceptable face against Mamata: RSS

Kolkata: An article published in ‘Swastika’, a magazine backed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) claimed that BJP in Bengal could not perform in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections as it hoped as the party did not have an ‘acceptable’ face against Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee.

“We have said earlier too that the BJP do not have a face against Mamata. The question is raised as to why BJP leaders have kept this lacunae. If a face emerges against Mamata, the BJP’s weak organisation will get a boost. By cancelling unsuitable candidates, the BJP will be able to grow as a political party in Bengal. But these are all “may be”. Now, we have to wait till 2026 to see what actually happens,” reads the article.

Mamata Banerjee is a reason as to why the BJP leaders did not get expected results in Bengal. Since 2019, the BJP fared poorly in two of the three elections in Bengal. Polls in 2026 (Assembly polls) is the last acid test for BJP in the state, the article said. “Voters have thought that to stop the BJP, Trinamool Congress is a stronger option than the Congress or the CPI(M)……the BJP leaders should understand their own fault behind the defeat. They must understand that corruption is not Mamata’s weakness and doles are not her strength…” the article read.

It was written by Nirmalya Mukhopadhyay in the issue dated June 9 of the weekly magazine, which evaluated BJP’s poor performance in Bengal. BJP failed to get expected results as it did not have an acceptable face against Mamata Banerjee, the article pointed out. “The 2.5 per cent vote share which moved away from Left-Congress and a fear factor… the people of the state voted for Mamata rather than BJP. Mainly because of weak organisation, the BJP lost six seats and 1.5 per cent vote share in the state. Added to this is infighting, which is continuing even after the polls.

The fact that a section of leaders were not seen after the loss of 2021 (Assembly) polls and choosing little-known candidates made BJP pay the price,” the article highlighted. It also said that it is due to the Left Front and the Congress that Mamata Banerjee was able to defeat BJP in 14 seats.