Won’t fight polls, if BJP tells me not to: Suvendu
Times of India | 26 December 2025
Kolkata: Stressing his commitment to BJP, Bengal leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari said on Thursday he would not contest polls and focus entirely on campaign if the party so desired. Adhikari, who vowed never to desert BJP, said the party would have to put up a united fight against Trinamool in the assembly polls.
Adhikari was speaking at a programme to celebrate the birthday of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at National Library. He said, "I am committed to BJP. If the party asks me not to contest the polls and only campaign, I am ready to take that responsibility. But BJP will have to win in Bengal. The circle will remain incomplete till it wins Bengal." Addressing the gathering in the presence of party seniors, including Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya, Adhikari said three kinds of people had joined BJP. "A section of netas came to contest elections on a BJP ticket. Some of them won and switched to another party. Those who were defeated went back to their parent party. There was another section that took refuge in BJP after the previous party stripped them of their posts. They joined BJP to continue their political activities. There was a third group that came after quitting posts and power to work for the party," said Adhikari.
The leader of opposition claimed that he belonged to the third category. He said he joined BJP on being invited by Union home minister Amit Shah and former Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh. "Many of those who had earlier joined BJP have fled. I will not desert the party. We will put up a united fight," he said.
Adhikari's statements are being seen as an attempt to prevent bickerings in BJP between old-timers and new entrants from resurfacing before the 2026 assembly polls. Adhikari joined BJP in Dec 2020, ahead of the 2021 assembly polls. His rise through the party ranks coincided with decline in the importance of several leaders within the party, including former president Ghosh.
Current Bengal BJP president Bhattacharya, who spoke about the party's rise in Bengal from being a non-entity to the principal opposition party, recounted that Vajpayee had foreseen BJP's rise in the state. "We have fought in Bengal despite being aware of a possible defeat. While Trinamool has changed alliances, we have not swayed from our political stance," Bhattacharya said.