HM Amit Shah likely to visit Bengal later in Feb

Kolkata, Feb 4 (SocialNews.XYZ) Amid the crucial Assembly elections in West Bengal scheduled later this year, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to come for a two-day visit to the state in the third week of this month.

A state committee member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that the Union Home Minister is likely to arrive in Kolkata either on the night of February 17 or the morning of February 18 and will be returning to New Delhi on February 19.

However, unlike his last month-end visit to West Bengal in January, when Home Minister Shah addressed two public rallies-cum-party workers' conference at Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas district and Siliguri in Darjeeling, this time the Union Home Minister will only focus on internal administrative meetings.

"During his likely visit in the third week of February will coincide with the higher secondary examinations conducted by the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education. That is why he will be refraining from addressing any public rally this time," the state committee member of the BJP added.

He said that during his likely visit this month, Union Home Minister Shah is expected to take stock of the BJP's organisational activities and also define the roles to be played by the top party leaders, including the elected public representatives like the MPs and legislators.

"On Tuesday, our new BJP President, Nitin Nabin, had a meeting with the elected MPs of the party from West Bengal. At the meeting, he advised the party MPs to concentrate more on their respective areas amid the Assembly elections in the state this year. Now the Union Home Minister is expected to specify the assignments of the MPs and legislators on this count," the state BJP committee member said.

There are also possibilities of some preliminary discussions on the criteria for the selection of candidates for the 294 Assembly constituencies in the state.

Political observers feel that the successive visits to West Bengal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Nabin, and Union Home Minister Shah since the beginning of the New Year, and that, too, much before the election dates are announced, prove how seriously the BJP views the state Assembly elections this time.

In January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed two political rallies, first on January 17 in Malda district, followed by another public rally on January 18 at Singur in the Hooghly district.

Nitin Nabin was on a two-day visit (from January 27) to West Bengal, and also addressed a public rally at the industrial township of Durgapur in West Burdwan district.

Source: IANS