Modi-Shah-Nadda trio likely to skip campaigning for Panchayat polls
Kolkata: With the dates of the Panchayat elections having been declared already, BJP’s big ticket leaders from Delhi, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, may skip campaigning in Bengal.
Even as there was much anticipation within the BJP’s state unit about Modi’s visit to the state for campaigning, reports claim that it is unlikely that the Prime Minister will come down this time. Further, it is learnt that neither the Union Home Minister Amit Shah nor BJP’s national president JP Nadda will be here. Sources said that the reason cited for such a skip is that the central leadership is relying on its Bengal state unit leaders for the campaign.
It is also because the saffron brigade’s top bosses believe the time is short and hence to utilise the most of it, it is best to rely on the Bengal BJP leaders.
Sources said that the event celebrating the nine years of the Modi government will not be held in Bengal presently due to the poll announcement. Although it had already started here, it is now likely to remain suspended till mid-July. As part of this cancelled programme, meetings were supposed to have been held in all 294 Assembly constituencies. Three meetings were scheduled to be held by Modi, Shah and Nadda which now have been cancelled, sources said.
Sources acquainted with the developments within the BJP party fold claimed that the central leadership of the BJP has made it clear that the Panchayat elections are a battle for state leaders.
Abhishek, throughout the Nabajowar campaign, has been asking during his public meetings the number of times people have seen the BJP’s Central leadership members from Delhi who before the 2021 Assembly polls were flying in and out of Bengal every other day.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh does not see any point in the Opposition putting too much effort into campaigning since he believes that even if a few of the Opposition candidates manage to win, they will join TMC as the Centre is withholding funds and the state government is funding the projects with its resources.
