Congress To Review West Bengal Strategy, To Revamp State Unit Soon

Having secured just four per cent of the vote in the last Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal, the Congress has little to lose and much to gain by overhauling its local team and finding its political footing. By focusing on reconnecting with voters and addressing local issues, the party can improve its chances in future elections.

New Delhi:The Congress is planning to revamp its West Bengal unit and is likely to target the BJP as its main rival to occupy the principal opposition space in state politics in the short run. The issue of how to deal with the ruling TMC, which fights the Congress in the state but works along with the grand old party at the national level, will be decided by the high command later, said party insiders.

“The BJP is our main rival in the state and we need to regroup there,” AICC secretary in-charge of West Bengal BP Singh told ETV Bharat. The search for a new PCC chief began after former state unit head Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury lost his Lok Sabha election from his traditional seat in Baharampur and resigned owning up to the responsibility for the party’s poor performance in the eastern state.

The Congress contested 14 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state, but could win only one in Malda. The Congress was keen to have a tie-up with the ruling TMC, but Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rejected the proposal.

However, before the Lok Sabha results, she declared that TMC was a part of the Congress-led INDIA bloc and would join the government if an opportunity came.

The AICC, which has been discussing the name of the new PCC chief and ways to revamp the state unit with senior West Bengal leaders over the past few days, is likely to hold a strategy meeting this week, said party insiders.

Among the probable names include working presidents Sankar Malakar, Nepal Mahto, Subhankar Sarkar and Abdul Sattar, who left the CPI-M in 2018 and joined the Congress. “We have to defeat the BJP at any cost. Over the coming days we will launch several programmes to connect with the voters,” Sankar Malakar told ETV Bharat.

According to party insiders, one of the key issues being discussed within the party is whether to go solo to revamp the Congress or work, along with ally CPI-M.

“Both kinds of views are coming. Some leaders want the CPI-M to be involved while others point out that the ally has not brought any electoral benefit though it has been providing moral support. We contested the 2021 assembly polls with CPI-M but no gain and again the 2024 Lok Sabha polls where we could win only one seat,” a senior AICC functionary said.

According to party insiders, the Congress got only a 4 per cent vote share in the state in the Lok Sabha polls and has nothing to lose at this point, but if it revamps the local team and gets down to finding its political space, there can be positive outcomes.

“The gains of this strategy are that both TMC and Congress and the Left are anti-BJP. They may have differences but fight a common rival. We should first target to become the main opposition by dislodging the BJP. Ruling the state can come later. While we must keep our friends, our supporters would prefer to see us fighting on our own rather than using the crutches,” a senior AICC functionary said.