BJP will not project CM face in Bengal, will seek votes in Modi's name: Samik
Kolkata (PTI): Amid speculations on the BJP's chief ministerial face in the West Bengal assembly polls, state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said the party had not taken any decision on the matter and would instead seek votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his "development agenda".
Bhattacharya said the BJP did not distinguish between "organic" and "inorganic" leaders, and that "whoever the people identify as fighters against the TMC's misrule can be the party's face after it wins the polls".
Pitching the assembly polls as the BJP's direct battle against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the TMC's "appeasement politics", Bhattacharya asserted that the party would not project any CM face, and would instead seek votes in the name of Modi and his "development agenda", and also pursue a policy of "detect, detain and deport" against infiltrators if voted to power.
In an interview with PTI, Bhattacharya declined to give a direct reply on whether the BJP's decision to field Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur amounted to projecting him as the party's chief ministerial candidate.
"The BJP does not project anyone as the chief ministerial candidate. In Delhi and Haryana, who did the BJP project as the face? We did not. Yet we won. The same happened in Odisha. Whom did we project as the face? We did not fight those elections with any one face," he said.
Pressed on whether Adhikari's candidature from Mamata Banerjee's pocket borough Bhabanipur made him, in effect, the BJP's face in the election, Bhattacharya said the decision on leadership would rest entirely with the party's parliamentary board and central leadership.
"If, in the next few days, they decide to select someone and fight under that person, then that will be their decision. But at this moment, there is no such decision and I do not think there will be," he said.
The BJP, he said, would instead seek votes in the name of Modi.
"We contest elections by putting forward 'vikas purush' Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- the man of development -- whom people from Kashmir to Kanyakumari trust, and by seeking votes on the basis of faith in his vision," Bhattacharya said.
He, however, left a small window open, saying the top leadership remained free to take a different call later.
The BJP leader said his party would secure a "comfortable majority" in the election but refused to specify numbers or say whether it would cross the two-thirds mark.
Bhattacharya made it clear that the decision to field Adhikari in Bhabanipur was intended to throw a direct challenge at Banerjee on her home turf.
"Anyone can understand that. It is a direct challenge," he said.
Recalling the fierce political battle between Banerjee and Adhikari in Nandigram in 2021, Bhattacharya said the BJP wanted to test the TMC's claim that Banerjee lost there only because of "load-shedding".
"The leader of the opposition was suspended from the assembly for a total of 11 months in the last five years. His family was attacked. His victory was called a 'load-shedding victory'. Even then we said: if you think we won in Nandigram because of load-shedding, then show your strength by taking a lead in that segment in the Lok Sabha elections. They could not take the lead there," he said.
Setting out the BJP's priorities if it came to power, Bhattacharya said the first task would be to establish the rule of law.
"First, establish the rule of law in the state. Second, ensure that there is no post-poll violence, because we believe that after the TMC loses power, its workers will start killing each other. We do not want that. Third, create an atmosphere suitable for investment," he said.
On infiltration, which he described as the BJP's "core issue", Bhattacharya said the party's policy would be simple: "Detect, detain, deport infiltrators from West Bengal".
He repeatedly cast this month's election not merely as a contest between the BJP and the ruling TMC, but as a decisive civilisation battle not only for the "existence of Bengali Hindus but also for nationalist, rational Muslims".
Bhattacharya also sought to rebut allegations that the BJP was trying to impose a 'Hindi-Hindu-Hindustan' and vegetarian culture on West Bengal.
"Bengalis cannot live without fish. The party of Syama Prasad Mookerjee don't need to prove whether we are Bengalis or not," he said.
Striking a combative note over the alleged assault on judicial officers engaged in SIR in Malda, Bhattacharya said he still had faith in the EC to ensure free and fair polls in the state.
"It is a commitment from them (EC) that they are going to hold a free and fair, and bloodless election. Right now, a constitutional authority is being challenged in West Bengal. I think the custodians of the Constitution should intervene immediately," he said.
Rejecting Banerjee's allegation that the BJP wanted to impose President's Rule in the state, Bhattacharya said the party could have done so years ago had it wished so.
"Had the BJP wanted to impose President's Rule, this government could have been removed seven years earlier itself. But we do not support that in principle. Mamata Banerjee will be defeated by the people's vote," he said.
To Muslims, who comprise nearly 30 per cent of the electorate and had hardly voted for the saffron camp in the last few polls, Bhattacharya said, the BJP's message was to "come into the mainstream of national life", educate children and reject appeasement politics.
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Vartha Bharati–Sankalp predictions align closely with Karnataka bypoll results
Bengaluru: The Vartha Bharati–Sankalp election analysis has shown a high level of accuracy in predicting the outcome of the recent Karnataka Assembly by-elections held in May 2026, correctly calling winners in both constituencies and closely estimating vote share trends.
The by-elections were held in Bagalkot and Davanagere South, drawing significant political attention as both seats were seen as key tests for the ruling Congress and opposition BJP.
According to the analysis, Vartha Bharati–Sankalp had made three major projections ahead of the results the winning party, vote share percentages, and margin of victory.
In both constituencies, the platform accurately predicted that the Congress would emerge victorious. The outcome matched the projections, with Congress candidates winning in Bagalkot and Davanagere South.
In terms of vote share, the predictions were largely in line with the final results. In Bagalkot, the BJP’s vote share was forecast in the range of 40 to 46 per cent, while the actual figure stood at 42.9 per cent. The Congress vote share, however, exceeded expectations, with the party securing 55.4 per cent against a projected range of 43 to 48 per cent.
The margin of victory in Bagalkot turned out to be significantly higher than anticipated. While the projection had placed the margin between 2,000 and 3,500 votes, the final margin was around 22,332 votes.
In Davanagere South, the predictions also remained largely accurate. The Congress vote share was projected between 43 and 51 per cent, and the final figure stood at 43.9 per cent. The BJP was expected to secure between 42 and 50 per cent but ended with 40.3 per cent.
The analysis had also identified the role of SDPI as a potential spoiler in the constituency. While its vote share was estimated around 6 per cent, the party eventually secured around 12 per cent of the vote.
The margin of victory in Davanagere South was predicted to be between 1,500 and 2,600 votes. The actual margin was higher at around 5,708 votes, though the contest remained relatively close as anticipated.
Overall, the performance of Vartha Bharati–Sankalp stood out for correctly identifying the winning parties in both seats and maintaining close accuracy in vote share estimates, with only limited deviations in specific cases.
