Kolkata: With West Bengal entering the election mode following the announcement of date for the forthcoming panchayat elections, the scheduled programmes of Prime Minister Narenadra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in the state have become uncertain.
Polling for the three-tier panchayat system will be conducted on July 8, and the results will be announced on July 11.
Both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister were supposed to visit West Bengal as part of the party's nationwide outreach to celebrate nine years of Modi government.
However, a senior state BJP leader said that following the announcement of panchayat poll date, there is every possibility that those visits will now be made after the elections are over and the results are announced.
Besides Mofdi and Shah, BJP President J.P. Nadda was also supposed to make a trip to West Bengal sometime this month.
The saffron leader said that BJP's plan to conduct mass outreach programmes in the state during the current month with special focus on the rural areas to highlight the achievements of the Union government in the past years has been hampered by the sudden announcement of panchayat polls to be conducted at a short notice.
Shah was also supposed to review the organisation structure of the party in the state.
In May, the Home Minister had made a trip to West Bengal and during that visit, he held a meeting with the state BJP leadership where he advised the latter to strengthen the organisational base and booth-level committees of the party.
He also stressed on the party leaders reaching out to as many people as possible, keeping in mind both the panchayat polls and the big battle of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. —IANS
