With eye on 2024 LS polls, Amit Shah might visit Bengal in August

KOLKATA: With an eye on next year's Lok Sabha elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to come to West Bengal in August and attend a number of public rallies in different parts of the state.

This was informed by state BJP President Sukanta Majumdar on Saturday after he returned to Kolkata from Delhi, where he had a meeting with Shah.

During the meeting, Majumdar updated Shah on the continuing violence in the state.

Meanwhile, state BJP sources said that during his proposed visit to the state next month, Shah might stay here for quite some time and address a number of rallies in different parts of the state.

Political observers feel that the proposed visit of the Home Minister just after the panchayat elections is very crucial in the backdrop of the big battle in next year's Lok Sabha polls.

The visit will be critical considering the saffron camp’s unsatisfactory performance in the rural polls, especially in the BJP strongholds in North Bengal and the tribal-dominated pockets of Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore.

In such a situation, Shah's visit is probably meant for setting the organisational directions for the state unit of the party, rejuvenating the grassroots level party workers and finalising the strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Soon after the results for the panchayat polls were announced, Shah had tweeted congratulating Bengal BJP for performing “well” despite the unprecedented violence witnessed in the state since the announcement of polling date on June 8.

The state BJP leadership has also claimed that the panchayat poll results were not true reflections of public sentiments.