Siliguri: Mukul Roy will step into north Bengal for the first time on Thursday after joining the BJP.
The
former de facto number two in Trinamul has staunch followers in the
region and is expected to meet them in Siliguri to strengthen the BJP's
base in north Bengal.
"He will arrive here by train along with
state BJP president Dilip Ghosh. Kailash Vijayvargiya, our general
secretary, will reach Siliguri by flight. They will hold a meeting of
north Bengal BJP leaders to discuss several issues, including
preparations for panchayat elections scheduled for next year," said a
BJP leader in Siliguri.
BJP sources said Roy might visit some other north Bengal places also, besides Siliguri.
"During
such visits, he can meet his followers who have turned inactive in
Trinamul after he joined the BJP. Such meetings are politically
significant and there could be some major developments," said a source.
Since the 2016 Assembly elections, the BJP has been focussing on north Bengal where it has two MLAs.
"The
party's confidence has further been bolstered after it came second in
Cooch Behar Lok Sabha by-poll in November last year. Even in civic polls
held this year, the BJP managed to grab a considerable percentage of
votes. It is obvious that the BJP will try to use Roy to consolidate the
party's support base," said an observer.
However, the BJP has
suffered a setback in the Dooars last month when a number of Gorkha
Janmukti Morcha leaders switched to Trinamul. "The Morcha is an ally of
the BJP and Roy will try to make up for the loss," said an observer.
The Telegraph
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