States » EastPosted at: Jul 2 2025 9:42PM


Samik Bhattacharya likely to become next Bengal BJP chief

Kolkata, July 2 (UNI) The stage is set for BJP Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya to take over as the new party president in West Bengal, as the veteran politician was the only person to file nomination for the crucial post.

Bhattacharya will assume the responsibility from his party colleague and Balurghat MP Sukanta Majumdar, with the official announcement scheduled for tomorrow by senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Bhattacharya filed his nomination papers for the post of president of BJP's state unit in the presence of incumbent and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari at the party office in Salt Lake, Kolkata.

The filing of papers by the 61-year-old BJP spokesperson took place just hours after a phone call from the party's national president, Jagat Prakash Nadda, to state functionaries, instructing them to ensure Bhattacharya's nomination was submitted on time for the Bengal unit president post.

Bhattacharya, who had been camping in New Delhi, arrived in the city this morning and filed his nomination papers in the presence of Majumdar, Adhikari, and other senior party leaders.

Though there were whispers within the party that Bhattacharya had been nominated by the central leadership to lead the state unit through the crucial 2026 Assembly polls, a last-minute surprise emerged when another BJP leader, Ambujaksha Mohanty, submitted a nomination for the same post. Mohanty had previously contested from Patashpur in the 2021 Assembly elections on a BJP ticket.

However, Mohanty’s nomination was rejected during scrutiny, as BJP's organisational rules mandate that a nomination for the president's post must be endorsed by ten members of the state council. According to BJP sources, Ambujaksha’s nomination fell short of the required ten signatures, leading to its disqualification during the scrutiny process.

When asked about it, Majumdar said, “The other nomination was not cancelled, rather I would put it this way: only one valid nomination was filed for the post of state president. Every nomination requires ten supporting signatures, and the other nomination did not meet this criterion, so it was not accepted.”

Majumdar, however, said that the official announcement will be made tomorrow by the election officer in charge of the West Bengal BJP who will hand over the certificate of election to Shamik Bhattacharya. “He will come to the city tomorrow and go through all the process and then announce the name of the new president,” he added.

Bhattacharya, an articulate man known for his oratorial powers, assumes leadership of the Bengal BJP at a critical juncture, with Assembly elections approaching fast. He has less than a year to prepare. The elections might be announced in around eight months. Strengthening the party organisation and expanding its reach are expected to be his top priorities.

In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, BJP won 77 seats. That number has since dropped to 65, a loss of 12 seats—some due to the death of sitting MLAs and others due to defections to Trinamool Congress. In this context, one of Bhattacharya’s biggest challenges will be to improve coordination between the party organisation and the legislative wing. Another crucial test will be uniting various factions and leaders within the party. UNI XC SSP
Tags: #Samik Bhattacharya likely to become next Bengal BJP chief
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