Amit Shah plans to deploy Dilip Ghosh in Bengal election campaign: 'Some weapons are used at special times'

Dilip Ghosh is one of BJP’s seniormost leaders in West Bengal.

• Dilip Ghosh to start BJP campaign in West Bengal from January 6
• He will address 16 rallies before loudspeaker ban for board exams
• Ghosh may contest assembly polls if fielded by BJP

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Ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections, BJP leader Dilip Ghosh will begin campaigning across the state from January 6, according to a report by Times of India.

He is expected to address 16 rallies this month, before a ban on loudspeakers comes into effect in the state due to the Class X and XII board exams.

The IE report stated that Ghosh on Thursday met state unit chief Samik Bhattacharya at the party’s Salt Lake office. This was after BJP leader Amit Shah invited Ghosh to attend a core group meeting of the party to strategise preparations for the Assembly elections.

Sources told IE that the two leaders discussed Ghosh’s campaign itinerary.

The former Bengal BJP chief will also hold a rally in the party stronghold Cooch Behar in north Bengal on January 13.

“I don’t know what responsibility will be given to me, but I have told them (party leadership) that I am available 24×7… Previously, the party gave me several responsibilities, and I played the role. Positions change, and the party progresses. The party has decided to use me for the elections, and I am here,” he told IE.

According to Ghosh, he was “instructed by Amit Shah to get down to election preparations”. He also said “some weapons are used at special times”.

Ghosh, a former MLA from Kharagpur, said he will contest the upcoming assembly polls if fielded by the party. “Last time, I was fielded from a place that was not to my liking. My favourite place is always Kharagpur,” he said, referring to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when he contested from Bardhaman-Durgapur constituency and lost.

Ghosh said that the new entrants to the BJP need to adapt to the party’s style of functioning.

Ghosh (61) is one of BJP’s seniormost leaders in the state.

His candid remarks have often led to controversies. But, under his leadership, the party also gained momentum and support it had not previously experienced in Bengal.

However, Ghosh had been 'missing in action' over the past few weeks and months.