In an important rejig, the Bharatiya Janata party on Saturday elevated Mukul Roy, a former confidant of Trinamool Congress Supreme Supreme Court Chief Mamata Banerjee, to the post of vice president.
Political experts see this as a move that could have a far-reaching impact on the upcoming assembly elections in Bengal.
BJP President JP Nadda announced the party’s new team of national officials on Saturday. Later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the new team members on Twitter.
“The West Bengal elections will be held in March-April next year and together with State President Dilip Ghosh and others, I will try to secure a BJP victory in Bengal,” Roy said as he thanked the party’s top leaders for placing their trust in the.
Roy, who had joined the party in 2017, served as the Bengal unit coordinator of the BJP electoral management committee for the 2018 panchayat polls and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He was the party’s national executive prior to be appointed vice president.
This move not only puts an end to the uncertainty that had arisen about Roy’s role and position in the party, but also completes a full circle. His promotion to the post of national office holder would be a respite for a section of TMC leaders who are inclined to switch to the BJP.
He also said that if he is appointed as the convener of the voting management committee during the 2021 elections, he would have more voice and would be in a more comfortable position to choose candidates and decide voting strategies.
Another former TMC legislator, Anupam Hazra, was also promoted to the rank of national secretary. He contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls with a BJP ticket from the prestigious Jadavpur seat in South Kolkata, but lost to TMC’s Mimi Chakraborty. Hazra was a TMC MP from Bolpur before joining the BJP.
Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista was appointed national spokesperson.
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