KOLKATA: BJP in West Bengal may be seen trying a Hindu polarisation stance to counter Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's “minority appeasement” politics. If this is the case, with 43.92 per cent Muslim population, Uluberia will be a testing ground for the party as it intends to make Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as its chief campaigner. Even with BJP state president Dilip Ghosh ruling out the possibility, there is a section of the party leadership that has its hopes tied to Yogi.
A party leader said, “We want him to campaign for out party candidate in Uluberia. Now it is up to the BJP central leadership to give Yogi ji one assignment in Bengal.” The move can be of much more importance if the BJP vote curve suffers a blow in Gujarat. The national ruling party is however optimistic. Party General Secretary Sayantan Basu said, “I am confident BJP will win the Gujarat polls. Saying so, I would like to add BJP's winning Gujarat will not determine the party's winning the Bengal polls. Neither will any dent in the party's performance in Gujarat affect its prospects in Bengal.” When asked if Yogi's campaigning in a Lok Sabha constituency where communal tensions could erupt, he said, “There have been a lot of communal clashes, disturbances in Uluberia so far leading to polarisation of voters. Yogi ji doesn't have to come to polarise voters.”
With the BJP ruling in neighbouring Assam, the party has been able to make dents in several places in north Bengal from Alipurduar to Malda.
