2 months ago
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Senior BJP person Dilip Ghosh said the enactment has "trapped" TMC main Mamata Banerjee successful her constituency, Bhabanipur, by fielding person of absorption Suvendu Adhikari from the spot successful southbound Kolkata.
He asserted that the determination has removed the elbow country the Chief Minister usually keeps to screen her bases crossed West Bengal during her canvass campaigns for the Trinamool Congress.
Speaking to PTI successful an interview, Mr. Ghosh said, "The biggest astonishment successful the TMC's campaigner database this clip is that it doesn't person immoderate surprises." The campaigner database of the TMC was announced by Ms. Banerjee connected Tuesday (March 17, 2026).
"I deliberation that by pitting Suvendu Adhikari against Mamata Banerjee successful Bhabanipur, we person managed to trap the TMC supremo successful 1 corner. She volition present person to absorption connected the spot to guarantee her triumph there. Minister Firhad Hakim began his predetermination run from determination and that surely means something. It's a pugnacious situation for her. She is successful sizeable tension. We pinned her down there," Mr. Ghosh said.
Commenting connected his party's prospects successful Bhabanipur, Mr. Ghosh said the SIR deletions person fixed BJP the required borderline successful that spot and stressed that Ms. Banerjee's decision successful Nandigram successful 2021 showed she isn't invincible.
"We person already defeated Mamata Banerjee once, and we tin bash it again. She had gone determination (Nandigram) and lost. This time, we volition travel to her spot and win. Over 50,000 elector names person been deleted successful her constituency station SIR screening. That's astir adjacent to her winning margin. So yes, there's decidedly a chance," Mr. Ghosh said.
Asked whether Mr. Adhikari's candidature from Bhabanipur meant that the BJP acknowledged him arsenic the Chief Ministerial face, Mr. Ghosh said, "Anyone tin go a CM. How galore radical knew astir Mohan Charan Majhi earlier helium became Odisha CM? That's however the BJP operates. However, Mr. Suvendu, without doubt, is the astir experienced person successful our enactment from the position of moving an administration." Calling the TMC's campaigner database a "risk-free attack to polls", Mr. Ghosh said Ms. Banerjee couldn't spend surprises this clip since "she knows she has a pugnacious combat ahead".
"They fielded tried-and-tested leaders. The enactment is connected the backmost ft for galore reasons. Ms. Mamata has not fixed tickets to celebrities this time. She knows her heydays are gone. She volition person to enactment hard for each spot of foothold. That's wherefore she has chosen radical who won't shy distant from moving hard for victory," helium added.
Considered the "most successful" president of the BJP's West Bengal unit, Mr. Ghosh steered his enactment to triumph 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats successful the authorities successful the 2019 wide elections, bagging 40.25% of the votes without immoderate large governmental alliance.
Mr. Ghosh had himself won the Medinipur Lok Sabha spot by dwarfing elder TMC person Manas Bhuniya by astir 89,000 votes, amassing a ballot stock of astir 49%.
Earlier, successful the 2016 State elections, Mr. Ghosh had humbled seasoned Congress person Gyan Singh Sohanpal, a 10-term MLA from Kharagpur Sadar, to wrest the spot and go 1 of the 3 BJP MLAs successful the authorities assembly.
Despite his show during his dual tenure arsenic the authorities BJP chief, Mr. Ghosh was pushed to the Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha spot successful 2024, wherever helium was humiliated by TMC's Kirti Azad by a borderline of astir 1.38 lakh votes.
Putting that bitter acquisition behind, the 61-year-old person said his information from Kharagpur Sadar for the elections felt similar a vocation turning afloat circle.
"Of course, I was bittersweet erstwhile I mislaid successful Durgapur. I took it sentimentally due to the fact that I had ne'er mislaid elections before. I wasn't liable for it. I had nary clip to prepare. I did my champion and determination was a batch of hype implicit my campaigns. I mislaid due to the fact that polls successful the authorities cannot beryllium won with hypes," Mr. Ghosh admitted.
"I returned to Kharagpur wrong 2 months. I had nary post, nary responsibilities, but I stayed successful interaction with my grassroots workers and continued to enactment there. Now my enactment has again chosen maine arsenic the campaigner from Kharagpur Sadar and I americium backmost to wherever it began for me," helium added.
Savouring his instrumentality to the seat, Mr. Ghosh said helium ever preferred authorities successful West Bengal implicit that successful Delhi.
"I did not travel to West Bengal to combat elections; I came present to physique the party. But I had to play the relation of an all-rounder due to the fact that the enactment asked maine to. I got a sensation of parliamentary politics. But I ne'er developed an attraction for Delhi politics," helium said, referring to his transportation arsenic an RSS functionary from the Andamans successful 2015 and taking up the BJP's mantle successful West Bengal.
"West Bengal throws maine a situation similar nary other. What tin beryllium easy achieved successful the remainder of India is not existent for the state. Also, there's nary dearth of nationalist leaders successful our party. I was ever funny successful staying present and warring until a alteration is brought about," helium added.
Speaking of his prospects successful Kharagpur Sadar, Mr. Ghosh said the extremity this clip was larger than his ain seat.
"We are warring to triumph West Bengal. It isn't astir Dilip Ghosh's idiosyncratic victory. That is simply a given. But the larger task is to container a capable fig of seats truthful that we tin signifier the government," helium said.
A torchbearer of aged guards successful the authorities BJP, Mr. Ghosh said the equilibrium betwixt the aged and caller faces successful the party's campaigner database this clip was conscionable right.
"Fresh humor indispensable beryllium infused successful each election. Candidates considered much businesslike than those earlier were included," helium said.
On his enactment choosing to driblet economist Ashok Lahiri from the list, Mr. Ghosh said, "He is slotted for a greater relation astatine the Centre."
