With less than a year to go for another round of prestige fight between saffron poster boy PM Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the latter's backyard, the country's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) introduced a long awaited rejig in the topmost rung of the state unit, which aspires to dethrone the powerful Trinamool Congress (TMC) but reels under infighting and poll defeats over the last five years.

BJP, which is currently in power in 19 states alone or in an alliance, is aware that the 2026 assembly elections won't be a cakewalk, no matter how corruption, law and order and sexual violence against women roil the state, where the TMC from Panchayat to Parliament hold sway for at least 15 years.

In a surprise pick for many, BJP introduced the much-needed routine change in the guard of its state camp, replacing Union Minister of State Sukanta Majumder with local unit official spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya.

(From L to R) Ravi Shankar Prasad and Samik Bhattacharya. Photo: Samik Bhattacharya/Facebook

Samik, 61, was elected unopposed as the 11th West Bengal BJP president with much celebrations in presence of senior leader Ravi Shankar Prasad at Kolkata's Science City, which is less than three kilometers away from TMC's official party headquarters.

Joining the BJP's ideological parent organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a minor, Samik worked for the saffron camp across the entire Left and Mamata regime without giving in to the recent trend of looking for better options in politics.

A short-height person with no conventional kurta-pyjama look of a politician, Samik's inaugural speech as the boss was thunderous, fiery, well researched and strategised.

Is Maa Kali replacing Jai Shri Ram?

In one of its muted reactions, TMC- which is currently in the eye of storm over the Kasba law college gangrape- objected to the portrait of Goddess Kali on the stage, calling it an insult to the Hindu religion.

For the strangers to the recent Bengal politics, which was devoid of religious speeches largely in pre-2011 era, BJP's Jai Shri Ram slogan was never a pleasant tune for the ruling party members to such an extent that Mamata fresh from her 2019 poll upset got down from her car and chased some young lads for teasing her with it.

Though the TMC somehow managed to come to terms with the slogan, which is politically used by the BJP, Mamata's party sometimes came up with Maa Kali or recently Lord Jagannath as a counter-strategy to thwart the threat to their Hindu votes.

Samik Bhattacharya with a Maa Kali portrait in the backdrop at Science City in Kolkata. Photo: Samik Bhattacharya/Facebook

For political observers, Maa Kali's portrait was not just a portrait on the dais but a photo with far-fetched meaning.

"Tourists in Kolkata always visit Kali Ghat temple. It's a must for all. Maa Kali is synonymous with West Bengal. It's now the biggest challenge to keep the Kali Temple intact in Kolkata. Hindus could not save the Kali temples in Bangladesh. So we are reminding the voters that we should not let us face the same fate in Kolkata like Chittagong," said Samik justifying the move.

Outreach to Muslims- a departure from Suvendu Adhikari's Hindu rhetoric 

Samik's inaugural speech and the maiden press conference comprised a unique strategy of outreach to the Muslims in a complete departure from what Leader of Opposition and BJP strongman Suvendu Adhikari had said post 2024 Lok Sabha poll debacle.

Adhikari, who has emerged as the prime counter face to Mamata in the state, last year cleared there was no need for outreach to the Muslim voters, who are nonchalant about voting for the BJP.

"I had spoken in favour of nationalist Muslims and gave 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' slogan. But I won't say that again. I will now give a call to work for those who are with us. Stop 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'. There is no need for the minority wing," said Mamata's former trusted lieutenant, who has re-branded himself as a Hindutva icon.

In a stark contrast, Samik said, "Hindutva can't be any ism. Pluralism is only Hindutva."

From Science City, the BJP chief even asked the Muslims to "introspect".

Suvendu Adhikari greeting Samik Bhattacharya. Photo: Samik Bhattacharya/Facebook

"If you consider BJP as untouchable, kindly do not vote for us. But you should introspect and recount how many Muslims have been killed in the last three years. The Muslims are only killing Muslims," said Samik.

In a more inclusive speech, the 61-year-old said he wants to replace stones with books in the hands of the Muslim youths.

"The Durga Puja immersion and Muharram will be held together without any communal clash," Samik said in a message for communal harmony that may find the TMC, which has mastered the game of branding the BJP as a communal force, off-guard. 

Reach out to arch-rival Communists

BJP's meteoric rise in the state politics in 2019 was undoubtedly at the expense of the Left vote bank.

In what must have surprised a seasoned politician like Mamata Banerjee six years ago, BJP's vote share roughly surged from 10 percent (2016 assembly elections) to 40 percent (2019 Lok Sabha elections) and much of it was credited to the erosion of the Communist votes.

The 2019 elections changed the political map of the state, which has almost created a binary between the incumbent and the BJP that is the only considerable opposition party in the assembly.

Either join hands with Mamata or support us, Samik's message was crystal clear for the Left and Congress. While the Left has no elected MP or MLA from the state, Congress technically has one lawmaker (later defected to TMC) in the assembly.

"I would appeal to the Left and Congress to not divide opposition votes and facilitate TMC's return to power, rather openly support them. BJP is ready to fight it out... I would appeal to the Left and Congress to forget ideology for the time and help BJP come to power and then automatically fill up the opposition space where there will be a natural vacuum," said Samik, a former state MLA.

In what could be construed as a message for the liberals and urban elites, Samik repeatedly reminded the Left how its stalwart and former Chief Minister Jyoti Basu had once backed political activist Shyama Prasad Mookerjee's proposal in the West Bengal Assembly.

The new Bengal BJP chief even reminded disgruntled TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy how his father had appealed to the Hindu Mahasabha leader to ensure Malda remains in India during the partition.

In a strong refusal of the idea of a grand alliance, CPI-M leader Satarup Ghosh told a local news channel, "Samik Bhattacharya should also remember that Jyoti Basu had called BJP an uncivilised party."

Speaking to IBNS, political analyst Professor Biswanath Chakraborty said, "Shamik Bhattacharya is acceptable to urban, educated middle class people so it would be helpful for the BJP to attract the urban and semi-urban voters."

Message for united BJP

On the onset of his presidential term, Samik searched for the same string in stitching various factions within the party, which saw an influx of turncoats, some of whom were even airlifted to Delhi for joining ahead of the 2021 assembly elections.

The cold war between former state president Dilip Ghosh, who was seen hobnobbing with Mamata Banerjee during Jagannath Temple inauguration in Digha, and turncoat Suvendu Adhikari was unmissable over the years.

While Ghosh turned quite irrelevant for the top brass after his personal election defeat in 2024, turncoat Adhikari maintained his supremacy both inside and outside the assembly even overshadowing Samik's immediate predecessor, Sukanta Majumdar.

But soon after taking charge, Samik underlined the importance of the old guards who fought even when the party was irrelevant in the state politics as well as the new entries that expanded the camp in length and breadth over the years.

Samik Bhattacharya with his colleagues after elected as West Bengal BJP president unopposed. Photo: Samik Bhattacharya/Facebook

"The old guards have to realise that the party won't expand if leaders are not inducted from outside. We can't manufacture leaders. At the same time, the new entrants should also remember the party has reached this level due to the old guards who had fought lost battles in the past," says Samik.

Even after meeting Dilip Ghosh, who at least promised to not switch camps (join TMC or float a party), Samik stressed on blurring the lines between the older and newer leaders within the party that has never ruled West Bengal.

"There is no tussle between the new and old guards. BJP is for all who fought for the party in tough times. There is no infighting among us. We do not have a separate Bengal line and Delhi line within the camp.

"The party, and not any individual leader, is supreme. There might be some misunderstandings but it doesn't mean it's his end of journey in the party. I promise BJP will emerge as a complete united force within 15 days from now," Samik said addressing the media on Tuesday.

"Shamik Bhattacharya will bring a balance in the party leadership. While Suvendu Adhikari is a TMC turncoat, Samik Bhattacharya is a leader of RSS origin. So a balance of old guards and new leaders will be maintained," says Prof. Chakraborty.

Samik tackles Mamata's 'Jagannath' weapon with wit and humour

Contrary to how his colleagues responded to Mamata's installation of Jagannath Temple in Digha, Samik tackled what is viewed as the TMC's counter to BJP's Hindutva politics with wit and humour.

BJP leaders were never comfortable at Mamata's grand inauguration of Jagannath Temple as the ruling party has weaponised'Jai Jagannath' as a counter slogan to BJP's 'Jai Shri Ram'.

The discomfort was heightened when Dilip Ghosh with his spouse touched down the temple at the inauguration and engaged in an informal chat with the Chief Minister, who even walked a few steps more to see off her once-a-strong-opponent.

While Adhikari had claimed it was a "cultural centre" as per the invitation he had received from the government, then BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar had called Mamata "anti-Hindu" and "pseudo-secular".

In a departure from the two leaders' remarks, Samik deployed wit and humour in countering the temple inauguration, which is undoubtedly set to be a poll plank next year.

"Maa Kali has given up on Mamata Banerjee. Lord Jagannath has come to Digha to witness the collapse of the government in the East Midnapore district (Adhikari's bastion)," said the BJP chief.

(Photos: IBNS and Samik Bhattacharya/Facebook)