Union home minister Amit Shah is supposed to visit the state at a time when there have been protests of the R G Kar PGT student rape and murder.

The Union minister’s scheduled visit on 24 October is critical also because many names are being discussed for a suitable successor to the state BJP president, Sukanta Majumdar. Adding to this, the announcement of elections for six Assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat has heightened the political atmosphere.

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The former national president, Mr Shah is supposed to attend a marathon meeting with the state’s executive leadership, senior leaders and district and mandal presidents to take stock of the situation on 24 October.

After the meeting, Amit Shah will hold important discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president J P Nadda in Delhi. Significant decisions regarding West Bengal are expected to be made during this meeting, as the Delhi leadership is viewing the by-elections for the six Assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat as crucial.

The elections will be a test for the party ahead of the 2026 state polls. Bypolls for six Assembly constituencies in West Bengal were announced by the Election Commission of India on Tuesday afternoon. The elections for Sitai (SC), Madarihat (ST), Naihati, Haroa, Medinipur and Taldangra will be held on 13 November and the counting of votes for these seats will be on 23 November. It has been reported that Shah might hold a separate meeting with the party’s core committee besides of other meetings. Few days ago, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Suvendu Adhikari and state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar had flown to Delhi after being summoned by the party’s central leadership. They had meetings with BJP National President J P Nadda and Amit Shah.

According to sources, in the context of the R G Kar incident, the two central BJP leaders discussed the party’s plans with the state’s two leaders.

On 24 October, the minister will officially launch the BJP’s membership drive. Selected leaders and workers from various levels, including MPs and MLAs, will attend the event, which is scheduled to take place at EZCC in Salt Lake. The party’s internal preparations for Shah’s visit have already begun. Apart from launching the membership drive, Shah may also issue instructions regarding the party’s future programmes in the state. He is expected to hold a separate meeting with the core committee. After winning the Lok Sabha election Sukanta Majumdar has become a Union minister. As a result, the BJP will soon announce a new state president.

For the next president of the Bengal BJP, names of Shamik Bhattacharya and Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato are being discussed. Shamik is currently the party’s Rajya Sabha MP and state spokesperson, while Jyotirmoy is the state general secretary and an MP from Purulia. Former state president Dilip Ghosh’s name is also being mentioned as a potential candidate, as is the name of MP Jagannath Sarkar.

Meanwhile, female leaders such as Locket Chatterjee, Agnimitra Paul and Debasree Chaudhuri are also being considered. There is also speculation that Mr Adhikari might be given the role of state president, especially with the upcoming 2026 Assembly elections in mind. Mr Mahato, who does not belong to any particular faction, is also a strong contender. He is known to be close to Sukanta Majumdar and has made his way from Junglemahal to Parliament.