15 from Bengal, 25 from other states in BJP’s star campaigners line-up
Times of India | 7 April 2026
Kolkata: Within 24 hours of publishing its first list of 40 star campaigners, BJP on Monday dropped six names from it. These names were of netas from other states. BJP replaced their names with those of netas from Bengal in its new list. The star campaigner list is led by PM Narendra Modi.
Leander Paes, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, MP Kangana Ranaut, Bihar deputy CM Samrat Choudhary and Bijan Goswami, who were there in the first list, were dropped. Six netas from Bengal — Ananta Maharaj, Khagen Murmu, Soumitra Khan, Locket Chatterjee, Jyotirmay Singh Mahato and Kartick Chandra Paul — were added in their stead.
This follows a recent meeting between Bengal election in charge Bhupendar Yadav and Maharaj aimed at bridging differences. The lineup includes Mithun Chakraborty, Samik Bhattacharya, Suvendu Adhikari, Dilip Ghosh, Sukanta Majumdar, Shantanu Thakur, Khagen Murmu, Jayanta Kumar Roy and Manoj Tigga.
Around 15 state netas will lead direct "at-the-booth" attacks against Trinamool. Union defence minister Rajnath Singh is also likely to be present during the nomination of Soumitra Chattopadhyay, a descendant of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
The choice of campaigners signals a focused push on alleged misgovernance in Bengal, ideological consolidation and a broader cultural appeal, party sources said.
Delhi CM Gupta and Union minister Annpurna Devi, who have already addressed the party's women's wing, are set to step up outreach among women. Actor Hema Malini is expected to bolster this effort, highlighting the Women's Reservation Act and "Lakhpati Didi". BJP has also announced a Rs 5,700 crore package for women. Mithun Chakraborty is likely to target urban and ‘yuva' voters.
Beyond star campaigners, the party will deploy "chunao sahyogis" (election aides) from Bengal and other states to strengthen booth-level networks and assist local units with campaign coordination.