BJP, RSS set early roadmap for 2026 Assembly polls
The Statesman | 24 October 2025With the year drawing to a close, the saffron camp intends to complete its groundwork and strategy formulation within the next few months to ensure a strong and coordinated campaign in the run-up to the polls.
According to sources, the BJP has decided to focus its campaign on the alleged policy failures and corruption of the Trinamul Congress (TMC) government. However, the party has resolved to avoid personal attacks on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, opting instead for an issue-based approach that highlights governance lapses.
The meeting to frame the preliminary election strategy was attended by BJP’s central observer for Bengal Sunil Bansal, co-observer Amit Malviya, election observer Bhupender Yadav, and assistant observer Biplab Deb, along with senior state BJP leaders. Representatives from the RSS — both from the central leadership and the state unit — were also present. During the discussion, party leaders reportedly observed that during the 2021 Assembly elections, enthusiasm among BJP workers had been high, but field-level preparedness had fallen short.
Determined to avoid a repeat, the leadership has decided to give top priority to booth-level strengthening and organisational discipline this time. On the campaign front, the party and the RSS plan to foreground the issue of illegal infiltration from Bangladesh, claiming it has disturbed the demographic balance in border districts and posed threats to national security. The narrative will also link infiltration to worsening law and order, rising unemployment, and shrinking job opportunities for locals. The BJP plans to drive home the message that such developments are taking place with the tacit support of the state government. Corruption will remain a key poll plank, with the party preparing to target ministers and leaders accused of graft. The BJP is likely to highlight irregularities in the coal, sand, and education sectors, along with alleged embezzlement of public funds. Economic distress, youth migration to other states for jobs, and women’s safety are expected to feature prominently in the BJP’s campaign. The women’s and youth wings have been instructed to organise regular public outreach drives on these issues. The meeting also decided to hold large-scale “Hindu Sammelans” in north and south Bengal early next year, with the possibility of extending them to central Bengal. Party insiders said the 2026 campaign will emphasise discipline, coordination, and groundwork — lessons learned from the shortcomings of 2021.
