: The BJP has appointed Kailash Vijayvargiya as the observer of the party in West Bengal replacing Siddharth Nath Singh, who was in charge of State affairs till recently. This decision comes at a time when the BJP seems to be losing its edge in the State.
Mr Singh, will function as co-observer of the State, and has been given additional charge of Andhra Pradesh.
The organisational changes come at a time when the roles of Mr. Singh and State BJP president Rahul Sinha have come under scanner after the party’s drubbing at the hands of Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the recent civic polls.
“The changes have been made to ensure that the party performs better in the 2016 Assembly elections,” a senior BJP leader told The Hindu on condition of anonymity. He also said that the more Central leaders were being deputed to Bengal to strengthen the party organisation.
Mr. Vijayvargiya has proved his mettle in Haryana where he strengthened the party organisation.
The fact that none of the Central leaders of the party campaigned during the civic polls indicated its displeasure with the Bengal unit.
A few months ago, BJP president Amit Shah assigned Nirmala Sitharaman to coordinate with party leadership in the State.
“As the elections approach, more central leaders will be assigned responsibility in the State,” another senior BJP leader said.
Among the issues, which are, plaguing the BJP, the perceived tilt towards the Trinamool Congress is hampering its prospect. Recently, the party also cautioned one MP from the State who openly praised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The party is also riddled with factionalism, which was evident at the civic polls held earlier this year. The party could not win a single seat in municipal polls this year whereas the Left Front and Congress in certain areas could hold on to their ground.
