The BJP, which has reportedly finalised its chief minister for West Bengal, will hold the oath-taking ceremony at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata at 10 am on May 9, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, national BJP president Nitin Nabin, several Union ministers, and chief ministers from 20 states expected to attend.
“On May 8, at 4 pm, a legislative party meeting will be held, and the leader will be elected,” state BJP president and MP Shamik Bhattacharya told the media. However, sources indicated that this time, there may be no voting to select the legislative party leader, as the central leadership has already decided who the chief minister will be.
According to party sources, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to arrive in Kolkata late on Wednesday night after a cabinet meeting in Patna or on Thursday morning. On May 8, Shah is scheduled to meet all the winning MLAs. After the legislative party meeting at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, the BJP is expected to visit the governor and stake a claim to form the government.
Bhattacharya, BJP MPs Saumitra Khan and Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato, and other party leaders held a meeting with Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala regarding the security measures for the oath-taking ceremony and regarding the sporadic incidents of violence taking place.
Meanwhile, amid reports of post-poll violence, the BJP issued an important announcement on Wednesday. “You cannot declare yourself a BJP member on your own. Unless the party formally accepts you, you cannot claim to be a BJP member,” the party said.
Meanwhile, Khan said, “Some people who were in the TMC in the morning, crossed over to the BJP by the evening and to prove their loyalty to the BJP, they started doing all this. Give us 2-4 more hours, and we will make everything right… Our party leadership has instructed the police to act against these miscreants in the strictest way.”
Bhattacharya said he has spoken to the home secretary, pointing out that violence will not be tolerated. “People who had been TMC are now suddenly putting saffron colour and disrupting peace and trying to vandalise. It will not be tolerated. Last night, I spoke to the Kolkata police regarding this. Two of our workers have died. From our party, we have said that those who are involved in vandalism, we will not tolerate it; they will be thrown out. The Prime Minister had promised people that they would be brought out of the environment of fear,” he added.