Kolkata, Sep 20: The BJP on Monday replaced Dilip Ghosh as its West Bengal unit president with Lok Sabha MP from Balurghat Sukanta Majumdar amid infighting and a string of defections from the party to the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress.
In a statement, the BJP announced that Ghosh, also a Lower House MP, has been made a national vice president of the saffron camp.
The change of guard happened 15 months ahead of the expiry of Ghosh’s term as state BJP chief.
According to party sources, Majumdar’s name for the Bengal BJP president’s post had been doing the rounds for the past few months, following the party’s defeat in March-April assembly polls.
A PhD in botany, 41-year-old Majumdar, known to be sharing close ties with Ghosh, is the first state president of the saffron camp from north Bengal.
“I thank my party leadership for giving me this opportunity. The party has grown from strength to strength in the last few years. I would aim to fortify its base even further,” he told reporters.
Asked about his plans to deal with the defections and infighting, Majumdar, who has strong links with RSS, said those committed to the BJP ideology would never leave the party.
Four BJP MLAs and an MP have switched over to the TMC since the declaration of assembly election results on May 2.
The sources in the BJP said that the top brass decided to appoint Majumdar as the state president keeping in view the party’s good show in north Bengal.
With Leader of the Opposition in Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, hailing from south Bengal and Majumdar from north, the saffron camp seems to be making efforts to reinvigorate the organisation in the state after the assembly poll debacle. (PTI)
