New Delhi, Sept 23 (IANS): By appointing Lok Sabha member Sukanta Majumdar as the President of its West Bengal unit, the BJP is attempting to win the support of the states intelligentsia and the BengaliBhadralok.
A senior party leader said that Majumdar, a professor by profession, is the right person to establish connection with the state's intelligentsia, which was missing till now.
On September 20, BJP Chief J.P. Nadda appointed Majumdar, a Lok Sabha member from Balurghat in West Bengal, as the state unit President, replacing Dilip Ghosh. Ghosh, also a Lok Sabha member, has been appointed as the national Vice President of the party.
A senior BJP leader pointed out that the intelligentsia plays an important role in West Bengal politics and through Majumdar, the saffron party is trying to win their confidence.
A senior party functionary in West Bengal said that the Bengali ‘Bhadralok' and the state intelligentsia did not like Majumdar's predecessor Ghosh.
"Absence of a local credible face failed to attract the state intelligentsia and the 'Bhadralok' class during the West Bengal assembly polls, especially in the urban areas, which was one of the reasons why the BJP did not do well in the urban pockets," a party leader said.
He claimed that now Majumdar will work to increase BJP's acceptance among the 'Bhadralok' class.
"Bengal is different from the other states of the country. Here leaders with high intellectual capability have more acceptance than others," he said.
Majumdar has done his PhD in Botany, and is an assistant professor at the University of Gour Banga in Malda.
Another leader pointed out that Majumdar, an academician, will be an asset for the saffron party in establishing a connection with different sections of intelligentsia across the state.
Another senior leader said that in West Bengal politics, only two kinds of people can survive and become successful -- one who is a street fighter, and the second who is an intellectual -- and Majumdar fully fits the bill for the latter category.
"Majumdar's appointment will help the party expand its base in new sections of the society, which will play a crucial role in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the 2026 Assembly polls," a party insider said.