Ahead of the 2026 West Bengal assembly election, senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya is set to become the new president of the BJP's state unit as no other candidate filed nomination for the post till the deadline on Wednesday.
Accompanied by outgoing state president Sukanta Majumdar and Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Suvendu Adhikari, Bhattacharya submitted his nomination papers at the party’s office in Salt Lake on Wednesday afternoon.
"Since Bhattacharya, the 61-year-old MP, was the sole candidate for the post and did not withdraw his nomination, he would be declared elected unopposed," a senior BJP leader told PTI.
The official announcement is expected to be made during a felicitation programme at the Science City auditorium in Kolkata on Thursday. The process to elect the new state BJP chief began on Wednesday, a day after the official election schedule was made public.
“My name is yet to be announced as the next BJP state chief. And this is an ongoing process in the party," Bhattacharya said told PTI. About his priorities as the next state BJP chief, he told PTI that ensuring the victory of the party in the next assembly polls would be his topmost priority.
“We have to ensure that the rule of law is restored in West Bengal and there is a proper atmosphere for growth of industries so that this brain drain from Bengal is stopped. And most importantly, to ensure that the existence of Bengali Hindus is not threatened,” he said.
Who is Samik Bhattacharya?
Bhattacharya is an old Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker. He won his first election in 2014 when the BJP had no seats in the West Bengal legislative assembly. He won the Basirhat South assembly seat for the saffron camp for the first time in a bypoll.
BJP leaders told Hindustan Times that Bhattacharya’s ascent marks the importance of RSS in Bengal in the run-up to the crucial 2026 assembly election.
What are his key challenges?
Bhattacharya’s key challenges will include ensuring better coordination between the party’s organisational and legislative wings and unifying the various factions within the state BJP.
Another major task ahead for him is countering the TMC’s consistent attempt to brand the BJP as “anti-Bengali” and an “outsider party”, a narrative that has gained traction in past elections.
Political observers feel it is to be seen how Bhattacharya, known for his articulate communication style and long-standing association with the BJP and RSS, navigates these hurdles.
(With PTI inputs)
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