Bharatiya Janata Party, West Bengal
Bharatiya Janata Party, West Bengal भारतीय जनता पार्टी, पश्चिम बंगाल | |
|---|---|
Leader of Opposition) | |
| President | Dr. Sukanta Majumder |
| General Secretary | Amitava Chakroborty |
| Spokesperson | Samik Bhattacharya |
| Yuva Morcha president | Indranil Khan |
| Headquarters | 6, Muralidhar Sen Lane, College Square, Kolkata-700073, West Bengal |
| Newspaper | Kamal Barta |
| Student wing | ABVP(unofficial) |
| Youth wing | Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, West Bengal |
| Women's wing | BJP Mahila Morcha, West Bengal |
| Ideology | Conservatism[1] Neoliberalism[2] Right-wing populism[3] Nationalism[4] Hindutva[5] Integral humanism[6] |
| Political position | Right-wing to far-right [7] |
| Religion | Hinduism[8] |
| Colours | Saffron |
| Alliance | National Democratic Alliance |
| Advocate | Koustav Bagchi |
| Seats in West Bengal Legislative Assembly | 67 / 294
|
| Seats in Gorkhaland Territorial Administration | 0 / 50
|
| Seats in Lok Sabha | 17 / 42
|
| Seats in Rajya Sabha | 2 / 16
|
| Election symbol | |
Political parties | |
Bharatiya Janata Party, West Bengal (Hindi: भारतीय जनता पार्टी, पश्चिम बंगाल), is the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Indian state of West Bengal. The party's headquarters is located in Kolkata, the capital of the state. Sukanta Majumdar is currently appointed as the president of BJP West Bengal.
The party currently holds 2 seat in the Rajya Sabha and 16 seats in the Lok Sabha from the state. Furthermore, the party has 70 seats in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.
History
1980s
The Bharatiya Janata Party contested the West Bengal assembly election for the first time in 1982.[9] The primary objective of the party was to create a nucleus for a future third force in West Bengal politics.[9] The party supported the call of the West Bengal government to hold the elections in March 1982.[10] The party contested on 52 assembly constituencies and got around 129,994 votes in the state.
In 1984 Lok Sabha election, BJP contested on 9 seats and got 101165 (0.4%) votes in West Bengal.[11]
In the 1987 the party contested on 57 constituencies and slightly increased its votes to 134,867.[12]
In 1989 Lok Sabha election, BJP contested on 19 seats and got 529618 (1.67%) votes in West Bengal.[13]
1990s
The
In 1996, both Assembly election and Lok Sabha election took place simultaneously, the party contested on 292 assembly constituencies and got 2,372,480 (6.45%) votes[16] and contested 42 Lok Sabha seats and got 2525864 (6.88%) votes across the state.[17]
In
In
2000s
In 2001 Assembly election, BJP contested on 266 constituencies and got 1901351 (5.19%) votes throughout the state and 5.68% in seats contested.[22]
In the
In the
In
2010s
In 2011 Legislative Assembly election the BJP allied with GJM.[27]
In
In 2016 Assembly election the BJP in an alliance with GJM contested 291 seats and got 5,555,134 (10.16%) votes and created history by winning 3 assembly seats for the first time.[29]
There was a major political shift from the left to the right in the 2019 Lok Sabha election in West Bengal. The Bharatiya Janata Party, won 18 Lok Sabha seats out of the 42 constituencies with 23,028,343 (40.25%) votes. On 24 May 2019, The Statesman reported that BJP had made CPI-M a marginalised party and setting a strong challenge to the ruling Trinamool Congress.[30] The shift in the voting pattern was seen across the state.[31]
After the election the Government of India passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) in the Parliament, allowing a quicker route to citizenship to non Muslim immigrants from neighbouring countries. The party hoped to benefit from the votes of the Hindu immigrants from Bangladesh.[32][33]
Post 2020
The BJP's Bengali booklet released in January 2020 claimed that the National Register of Citizens will be implemented to identify any undocumented migrants including Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and non-Muslims by the Citizenship Amendment Act.[34][35]
Electoral performance
Legislative Assembly election
| Year | Seats won | Change in seats | Percentage of votes | Vote swing | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 / 294
|
 3
|
10.16% | – | Opposition |
| 2021 | 77 / 294
|
74
|
38.14% | 27.98%
|
Opposition |
Lok Sabha election
| Year | Seats won | Change in seats |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 1 / 42
|
– |
| 2014 | 2 / 42
|
1
|
| 2019 | 18 / 42
|
16
|
Leadership
The West Bengal BJP has one president, twelve vice presidents and five general secretaries & twelve secretaries.[36] As of September 2021, the President of the West Bengal state branch of the party is Dr. Sukanta Majumder.
List of State Presidents
| No. | Name | Term in office |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prof. Haripada Bharati | 1980–1982 |
| 2 | Dr. Vishnukant Shastri | 1982–1986 |
| 3 | Sukumar Banerjee | 1986–1991 |
| 4 | Tapan Sikdar | 1991–1995 |
| (2) | Dr. Vishnukant Shastri | 1995–1997 |
| (4) | Tapan Sikdar | 1997–1999 |
| 5 | Asim Ghosh | 1999–2002 |
| 6 | Tathagata Roy | 2002–2006 |
| (3) | Sukumar Banerjee | 2006–2008 |
| 7 | Satyabrata Mookherjee | 2008–2009 |
| 8 | Rahul Sinha | 2009–2015 |
| 9 | Dilip Ghosh | 2015–2021 |
| 10 | Dr. Sukanta Majumder | 2021–present |
Elected members
Incumbent member(s) of Parliament
| S.No | Member of Parliament | Constituency Name | District(s) | Term Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Nisith Pramanik | Cooch Behar
|
Cooch Behar | 2019 |
| 2. | John Barla | Alipurduar
|
Alipurduar, Cooch Behar | |
| 3. | Jayanta Kumar Roy | Jalpaiguri
|
Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar | |
| 4. | Raju Bista | Darjeeling
|
Uttar Dinajpur
| |
| 5. | Debasree Chaudhuri | Raiganj
|
Uttar Dinajpur
| |
| 6. | Sukanta Majumder
|
Balurghat
|
Uttar Dinajpur
| |
| 7. | Khagen Murmu | Maldaha Uttar
|
Malda | |
| 8. | Jagannath Sarkar | Ranaghat
|
Nadia | |
| 9. | Shantanu Thakur | Bangaon
|
North 24 Parganas
| |
| 10. | Locket Chatterjee | Hooghly
|
Hooghly | |
| 11. | Kunar Hembram | Jhargram
|
Paschim Medinipur, Purulia
| |
| 12. | Dilip Ghosh | Medinipur
|
Purba Medinipur
| |
| 13. | Jyotirmoy Mahato | Purulia
|
Purulia | |
| 14. | Subhash Sarkar
|
Bankura
|
Bankura | |
| 15. | Saumitra Khan | Bishnupur
|
Purba Bardhaman
| |
| 16. | S. S. Ahluwalia | Bardhaman–Durgapur
|
Paschim Bardhaman
|
Incumbent member(s) of Legislative Assembly
List of opposition leaders
| No | Portrait | Name | Term of Office | Assembly | Chief Minister | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Suvendu Adhikari | 10 May 2021 | Incumbent | 2 years, 360 days | 17th | Mamata Banerjee |
See also
- Bharatiya Janata Party, Gujarat
- Bharatiya Janata Party, Uttar Pradesh
- Bharatiya Janata Party, Madhya Pradesh
- Bharatiya Janata Party, Bihar
- Bharatiya Janata Party, Chhattisgarh
- Bharatiya Janata Party, Odisha
- State units of the Bharatiya Janata Party
- Communist Party of India (Marxist), West Bengal
- West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee
References
- ^
- Johnson, Matthew; Garnett, Mark; Walker, David M (2017). Conservatism and Ideology. ISBN 978-1-317-52900-2.
- Björn Goldstein (2015) The unconscious Indianization of 'Western' conservatism – is Indian conservatism a universal model?, Global Discourse, 5:1, 44-65,
- Mazumdar, Surajit (2017). "Neo-Liberalism and the Rise of Right-Wing Conservatism in India". 5 (1). LCCN 2018001733.)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
- Johnson, Matthew; Garnett, Mark; Walker, David M (2017). Conservatism and Ideology.
- ^
- Mazumdar, Surajit (2017). Neo-Liberalism and the Rise of Right-Wing Conservatism in India. Germany: University Library of Munich.
- Gopalakrishnan, Shankar (7 July 2006). "Defining, Constructing and Policing a 'New India': Relationship between Neoliberalism and Hindutva". Economic & Political Weekly. 41 (26): 2803–2813. JSTOR 4418408. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- Wilson, Kalpana; Ung Loh, Jennifer; Purewal, Navtej (July 2018). "Gender, Violence and the Neoliberal State in India" (PDF). Feminist Review. 119 (1): 1–6. S2CID 149814002.
- Mathur, Navdeep (2018). "The low politics of higher education: saffron branded neoliberalism and the assault on Indian universities". Critical Policy Studies. 12 (1): 121–125. S2CID 148842457.
- ^
- McDonnell, Duncan; Cabrera, Luis (2019). "The right-wing populism of India's Bharatiya Janata Party (and why comparativists should care)". Democratization. 26 (3): 484–501. S2CID 149464986.
- Özçelik, Ezgi (2019). Right-wing Populist Governments Rhetorical Framing of Economic Inequality : the Cases of BJP in India and AKP in Turkey. Koç University.
- McDonnell, Duncan; Cabrera, Luis (2019). "The right-wing populism of India's Bharatiya Janata Party (and why comparativists should care)". Democratization. 26 (3): 484–501.
- ^
- Henrik Berglund. "Religion and Nationalism: Politics of BJP." JSTOR 10.3998/mpub.23136.12.
- Henrik Berglund. "Religion and Nationalism: Politics of BJP."
- LCCN 2018001733.)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ISBN 978-1-317-52900-2.
- ^ Malik & Singh 1992, pp. 318–336; Banerjee 2005, p. 3118; BBC 2012.
- ^ [1]
- ^ ISBN 978-81-7648-257-8.
- ^ The Annual Register of Indian Political Parties. Michiko & Panjathan. 1982. p. 108.
- ^ "General Election, 1984 (Vol I, II)". eci.gov.in. Election Commission of India. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ "West Bengal 1987". eci.gov.in. Election Commission of India. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ "General Election, 1989 (Vol I, II)". eci.gov.in. Election Commission of India. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ Election Commission of India. Statistical Report on General Election, 1991 to the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal
- ^ ISBN 978-0-14-024602-5.
- ^ Election Commission of India. Statistical Report on General Election, 1996 to the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal
- ^ "General Election, 1996 (Vol I, II)". eci.gov.in. Election Commission of India. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ "General Election, 1998 (Vol I, II)". eci.gov.in. Election Commission of India.
- ^ "General Elections, 1998 - Constituency Wise Detailed Results" (PDF). West Bengal. Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ^ "General Elections 1999 – Overview of West Bengal : General Elections-2004". Press Information Bureau. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ "General Elections, 1999 - Constituency Wise Detailed Results" (PDF). West Bengal. Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ^ "West Bengal 2001". eci.gov.in. Election Commission of India. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ "Why did the NDA lose West Bengal?". rediff. 14 May 2004. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ "General Election, 2004 (Vol I, II, III)". eci.gov.in. Election Commission of India. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ "Election Commission of India - State Elections 2006: Partywise position in West Bengal". Election Commission of India. Archived from the original on 23 May 2006. Retrieved 23 May 2006.
- ^ "IndiaVotes PC: West Bengal 2009". IndiaVotes. India Votes Database.
- ^ "GJM backing both BJP and Congress-Trinamul alliance". The Asian Age. 9 April 2011.
- ^ "The rise of BJP in West Bengal | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". dna. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
- ^ "It's 'Mamata wave' in West Bengal as voters reject Congress-Left alliance". Ritesh K Srivastava. Zee News. 20 May 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
- ^ "West Bengal election results 2019: left veers into political oblivion". The Statesman, 24 May 2019. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- ^ Bagchi, Suvojit (23 May 2019). "Analysis: In West Bengal, Left's vote-reduction will benefit BJP but to what extent?". The Hindu. The Hindu 23 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- ^ Romita Datta, Why no one will douse the CAA fire in Bengal, India Today, 10 January 2020
- ^ Kaushik Deka, Who is (not) a citizen?, India Today, 10 January 2020
- ^ Amended citizenship law will shield Hindus when NRC will be rolled out, says BJP's Bengali booklet, Scroll, 7 January 2020
- ^ NRC next, says BJP's Bengali booklet on CAA, The Indian Express, 7 January 2020
- ^ Pooja Mehta (1 June 2020). "Major reshuffle in West Bengal BJP unit, Chandra Bose shunted out". zeenews.india.com. Kolkata: Zee News. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
General and cited sources
- Malik, Yogendra K.; Singh, V.B. (April 1992). "Bharatiya Janata Party: An Alternative to the Congress (I)?". Asian Survey. 32 (4): 318–336. JSTOR 2645149.
- Banerjee, Sumanta (22 July 2005). "Civilising the BJP". Economic & Political Weekly. 40 (29): 3116–3119. JSTOR 4416896.
- Halarnkar, Samar (13 June 2012). "Narendra Modi makes his move". BBC News.
The right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), India's primary opposition party
External links
- Official website
- Bharatiya Janata Party, West Bengal on Twitter
- Bharatiya Janata Party, West Bengal on Facebook