Amit Shah Launches BJP's Bengal Election Push With Kolkata Visit

Union Home Minister Amit Shah's three-day visit to Kolkata from December 29-31, 2025, marks the unofficial start of BJP's campaign for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.

Shah held marathon organisational meetings, addressed a major press conference, and met RSS functionaries while predicting a "two-thirds majority" victory for BJP in Bengal, a state where the party secured 77 of 294 assembly seats in the last Assembly election in 2021.

The visit signals BJP's determination to make Bengal its next conquest after winning Odisha in 2024 and Bihar in 2025.

The Home Minister landed at Kolkata's Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport around 7 PM on December 29, arriving directly from Guwahati.

He was received by state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar, and other party leaders. A grand welcome featuring approximately 1,500 motorbikes from across ten organisational districts had been arranged by the BJP's Yuva Morcha.

Shah proceeded immediately to the BJP state office in Bidhannagar Sector V (Salt Lake), where back-to-back meetings continued nearly until midnight. The first session included 26 top state leaders discussing organisational preparedness, booth-level feedback, and state committee formation. A second, smaller meeting of 10 central and state leaders focused on strategic affairs. National General Secretary Sunil Bansal, West Bengal in-charge Mangal Pandey, and co-incharge Amit Malviya participated throughout.

On December 30, Shah held consecutive closed-door sessions with BJP MLAs, MPs, and Kolkata Municipal Corporation councillors before a significant meeting with senior RSS functionaries in the state—underscoring the coordination between BJP and its ideological parent organisation ahead of the polls.

The centerpiece of Shah's visit was a press conference on December 30, where he launched a comprehensive attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's government. Flanked by Suvendu Adhikari, Samik Bhattacharya, Sukanta Majumdar, and Matua community representative and MP Shantanu Thakur, Shah covered multiple fronts.

On corruption, Shah was blunt: "From chit fund scams to school-job scandals, from coal to cattle smuggling, the names of Trinamool Congress leaders and ministers are everywhere. So many ministers in the state have been jailed because of their involvement in corruption." He alleged that a "toll syndicate" controlled by a select few has blocked central welfare schemes, using the loaded term "bhaipo" (nephew) to reference TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee without naming him directly.

Infiltration from Bangladesh dominated Shah's remarks. "Mamata, today I want to ask you a simple question. Which government refuses to provide land for border fencing? I will answer it myself—it is your government," he declared. Shah claimed infiltration had stopped in Assam and Tripura but continued in Bengal because "you want to change Bengal's demography to expand your vote bank." He promised that if BJP forms government, it will create a "national grid" so strong that "even birds won't be able to enter" and will "drive away illegal infiltrators who are staying inside the state currently."

On women's safety, Shah cited the RG Kar Medical College rape-murder case, South Kolkata Law College incident, and Sandeshkhali assaults. "The women of West Bengal are not safe anywhere. Mamata Banerjee owes an explanation to the people of the state," he said.

Addressing concerns within the significant Matua community—Hindu refugees from Bangladesh—Shah offered direct reassurance: "There is no need for Matuas to be scared. This is a promise of the BJP. Those immigrants who have come to Bengal are citizens of the country; no one can harm them, not even Mamata Banerjee."

Shah confidently predicted BJP will secure a two-thirds majority in 2026, requiring 196-plus seats in the 294-member assembly. He cited the party's growth trajectory: from 3 assembly seats in 2016 to 77 in 2021, and from 17 per cent vote share in 2014 to 39 per cent in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The strategy bears hallmarks of what party insiders call the "Bihar Model"—intensive grassroots mobilisation through booth-level workers, Panna Pramukhs (page-wise voter tracking), and training centres. BJP has reportedly formed booth committees for 65,000 of Bengal's 81,000 polling booths and deployed Vistaraks (grassroot workers) across all 294 constituencies.

A notable tactical shift involves cultural positioning. BJP plans to pivot from the "Jai Shri Ram" slogan—which proved divisive in Bengal—toward "Joy Maa Kali" and "Joy Maa Durga," more resonant with Bengali Hindu traditions. Shah emphasized BJP's Bengali roots, noting the party was founded by "Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, who was a big leader from here." He invoked Swami Vivekananda, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, and Rabindranath Tagore, promising to "revive Bengal's heritage and culture" after forming government.

In September 2024, BJP appointed Union Minister Bhupender Yadav as election in-charge and former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb as co-incharge—the party's first formal in-charge for Bengal since 2015 (The appointments for the 2021 elections were as 'observers'). Shah himself is expected to station in Kolkata from January 2026, spending "maximum days each month" in Bengal until the Model Code of Conduct takes effect.

December 31 was dedicated to party worker engagement, including a Vijay Sankalp Karyakarta Sammelan (Victory Resolve Workers' Conference) designed to boost morale in the Kolkata metropolitan area. Shah's itinerary included visits to ISKCON Temple on Albert Road and Thanthania Kali Bari Temple in North Kolkata, as well as possible homage at the residence of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, author of "Vande Mataram," whose 150th anniversary is being observed.

Throughout the visit, Shah emphasized continuity, promising that existing state government welfare schemes would continue under BJP rule: "Whatever schemes she is running won't end, and we will also implement our schemes; that is our track record."

The ruling Trinamool Congress responded sharply. Education Minister Bratya Basu predicted BJP "will not even cross the 50-mark in the assembly polls and suffer a humiliating defeat." He called Shah a "political tourist" whose visits "will serve no purpose."

TMC's official response highlighted BJP's previous prediction failures: in 2021, Shah's "Pakka 200 paar" (definitely crossing 200) yielded 77 seats; in 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a 30-seat prediction resulted in 12. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hit back on border fencing allegations, listing land parcels provided to central forces, and raised counter-questions about security failures in Pahalgam and Delhi.

Shah's December visit establishes clear campaign parameters for 2026. BJP will hammer TMC on corruption, infiltration, and women's safety while attempting to shed its "outsider party" image through Bengali cultural symbolism and local leadership. The party's analysis shows BJP candidates led in 90 assembly constituencies based on 2024 Lok Sabha results—encouraging numbers despite the headline seat loss.

However, challenges remain substantial. TMC won 213 seats with 47.9 per cent vote share in 2021 and maintains deep organisational roots. BJP must convert anti-TMC sentiment among former Left voters without alienating Bengal's traditionally pluralist political culture. The ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls—with 58 lakh names deleted from draft voter lists—has become a flashpoint, with TMC alleging selective targeting of legitimate voters.

Shah's personal investment in Bengal is unmistakable. By stationing himself in Kolkata for extended periods and scheduling monthly mega rallies featuring PM Modi, BJP signals this is its "best and perhaps last chance" to defeat Mamata Banerjee after 15 years of TMC rule.