Calcutta: Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President JP Nadda worshiped at Kalighat temple

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda offered prayers at the Kalighat temple in the city on Tuesday during their one-day visit to the state to assess the party’s preparedness for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Starting his tour, he visited Gurdwara Bara Sikh Sangat in central Calcutta and the Kalighat temple in south Calcutta, located a short distance from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence.

A senior BJP leader from the state said, “Both of them worshiped at the Gurudwara and Kalighat temple. In the afternoon, they will hold several organizational meetings before leaving for New Delhi in the evening. They will take stock of the organizational strength and our situation.” Organizational Preparation”.

Shah and Nadda’s city tour focuses on assessing the organizational landscape in West Bengal in anticipation of next year’s Lok Sabha elections.

The leaders are scheduled to chair a series of organizational meetings on Tuesday, with no plans to address public events or meetings.

According to state BJP leaders, the leaders are expected to attend a closed event at the National Library before leaving for New Delhi later in the evening.

The ruling TMC downplayed the importance of the visit. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “The visit will have no impact. They will come and go, but the people of Bengal will have faith in the people of the state.”

Shah had earlier set a target of winning more than 35 Lok Sabha seats from West Bengal. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 18 seats out of 42 parliamentary constituencies in the state.

The visit of these top leaders to West Bengal comes at a crucial juncture as the party is attempting to strengthen its organizational machinery in preparation for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

As internal strife and defection have troubled the BJP after the announcement of 2021 assembly election results, six MLAs, including former Union minister Babul Supriyo, party MP Arjun Singh and national vice president Mukul Roy, have joined TMC after the 2021 assembly elections. went. ,

In the 2021 elections, TMC won a landslide victory for the third consecutive time, winning 215 assembly seats, while BJP won 77 seats.