Sukanta Majumdar replaces Dilip Ghosh as West Bengal BJP chief
Kolkata(PTI): 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 party.
The change of guard comes 15 months ahead of the expiry of Ghosh's term as BJP state 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 the March-April assembly polls.
A PhD in botany, 41-year-old Majumdar, known to be sharing close ties with Ghosh, happens to be 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 in the party, Majumdar, who has strong links with the 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 as the party managed to weather the TMC storm and put up a good show in north Bengal.
With Leader of the Opposition in the 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.
Congratulating Majumdar over his appointment, Ghosh said that the party needs fresh blood to take the organisation ahead in West Bengal.
He also thanked the central leadership for the new role.
"I was informed this morning that I will be given a new assignment at the national level. I am thankful to the party for giving me an opportunity to serve the masses. I wish Sukanta Majumdar success on his new journey," the 57-year-old BJP leader said.
Ghosh, who took over the party's reins in December 2015, was re-elected unopposed to the post of state BJP chief in January 2020. Under his leadership, the party, for the first time in 2016, won three seats in the Assembly.
The BJP had also registered a spectacular performance in 2019 when the party bagged 18 out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
In 2021, however, the party failed to achieve its much-hyped target of 200 seats in the assembly, but managed to increase its tally from three to 77.
Ghosh, over the years, courted several controversies with his remarks.
He has also been subjected to criticisms by his detractors in the party. The TMC declined to comment on the internal development in the BJP.
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Air India resorts to cost-cutting ways amid 'tough times'; layoffs not anticipated
New Delhi/Mumbai (PTI): Hit hard by Pakistan airspace closure and Iran war, Air India has resorted to cost-cutting measures, including holding back annual increments for staff and asking them to cut discretionary spending as well as non-critical expenditures, warning of "tough times".
On Friday, Air India Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director (CEO & MD) Campbell Wilson told the staff it is going to be a "very, very difficult year" if things don't improve on the Middle East front.
A day after the loss-making airline's board discussed various cost-saving steps, Wilson, along with Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Sanjay Sharma and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Ravindra Kumar GP, addressed the employees during a townhall on Friday where the emphasis on the need to keep a close watch on costs.
With higher jet fuel prices due to the West Asia conflict and airspace curbs, the loss-making airline's expenses have spiralled in recent times and against this backdrop, Sharma also told staffers that FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Calling for a relentless focus on costs in these tough times, Wilson urged employees to suspend discretionary spending, renegotiate rates where feasible, and defer non-critical expenditures.
"There must be a laser-sharp focus on eliminating wastage and leakages," he said.
Stressing the need to tighten the belt for a while, Wilson sounded optimistic that travel demand would rebound and the industry would continue on its upward path.
CHRO Ravindra Kumar told staff that the airline will proceed with variable pay for the last financial year and continue with planned promotions while noting that annual increments will be deferred by at least one quarter.
"We don't anticipate layoffs," he said.
At the airline's board meeting on Thursday, various cost-saving steps, including likely furloughs, were discussed. The Tata Group-owned airline has around 24,000 employees.
Generally, furlough refers to sending staff on unpaid leaves by companies during a tough financial situation.
During the townhall, CFO Sanjay Sharma said while strong revenue growth and fleet expansion drove financial momentum through FY25, FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Air India has seen around 40 per cent CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) in revenue between 2022 and 2025, he added.
The airline was acquired by the Tata Group from the government in January 2022.
The Air India CEO mentioned the external challenges being facing the aviation industry as a whole, including the continued closure of Pakistan airspace that is expected to persist for the foreseeable future and geopolitical conflicts leading to disruptions and airspace closures across West Asia.
Wilson, who is set to step down later this year, also flagged a sharp depreciation of the rupee and a 2.5-3 times increase in jet fuel prices, and added that these factors have adversely affected travel sentiment and consumer confidence, as per the sources.
If the Strait of Hormuz opens, oil prices fall and consumer as well as business confidence come back, there is a decent chance of a solid recovery, Wilson said, adding that unless those circumstances happen, it was going to be "a very, very difficult year".
"I feel somewhat responsible that we ended up with probably the biggest surprise of the year in the external environment which was a full-scale war in our neighbouring region in the Gulf. That has had a huge impact on airspace," he said.
For Air India, Wilson said the situation is compounded by the fact that the airline cannot fly over the neighbouring country and has to take a much longer routing for any west-bound destination.
"Every airline is reporting that they are under some sort of financial pressure as a result of higher fuel prices and economic uncertainty. So, it is unfortunately not a great environment to be running an airline," the Air India CEO said.
The Air India Group -- Air India and Air India Express -- is projected to have incurred more than Rs 22,000 crore loss in the financial year ended March 2026.
At the townhall, Wilson also highlighted various initiatives, including completion of the retrofit of its legacy narrow-body aircraft and rapid network optimisation to redeploy capacity more efficiently.
