With an eye firmly on the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday announced a new state committee, marking a significant organisational reshuffle aimed at balancing continuity, inclusivity, and internal discipline. The reconstituted committee brings back the party’s sole Muslim state office-bearer after a gap of four years and elevates a former Trinamool Congress (TMC) minister to a key leadership position, underlining the BJP’s effort to recalibrate its political strategy in a state where it has struggled to convert electoral momentum into power.

The announcement was made in Kolkata and comes less than two years before the crucial state polls, which the BJP views as an opportunity to revive its electoral fortunes after its defeat in the 2021 Assembly elections and mixed results in subsequent elections.

Key Appointments and Reinstatements

Among the most notable changes is the reinstatement of Ali Hossain, the party’s only Muslim state office-bearer. Hossain had served as the president of the BJP’s state minority morcha until 2021, when he was removed during a post-election reshuffle. His return after four years is being seen as a symbolic move by the party to counter criticism that it lacks Muslim representation in Bengal.

Another significant appointment is that of Tapas Roy, a former Trinamool Congress minister, who has been made one of the BJP’s 12 state vice-presidents. Roy joined the BJP just days before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, making his elevation a clear signal that the party is willing to fast-track leaders who bring electoral experience and organisational clout, even if they are recent entrants.

The BJP has also reinstated Khagen Murmu, the sitting Malda North Lok Sabha MP, as president of the party’s Scheduled Tribe (ST) morcha. Murmu had earlier held the position and is considered an influential leader among tribal communities in north Bengal.

Composition of the New Committee

According to party sources, the new state committee has been designed to blend fresh faces with experienced leaders, while avoiding controversial inductions that could trigger factionalism. The committee includes five general secretaries, 12 secretaries, five other office-bearers, and seven morcha presidents, apart from the vice-presidents.

Three sitting MLAs—Agnimitra Paul, Dipak Burman, and Manoj Tigga—who earlier served as general secretaries, have been promoted to the post of vice-president. Their elevation is seen as an attempt to strengthen the link between the party’s legislative wing and its organisational structure ahead of the elections.

A senior state office-bearer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the reshuffle was guided by the vision of state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya, who took charge in July 2025. “The new committee represents a combination of mostly new faces and a few old-timers. When Bhattacharya took over, he made it clear that dissent and factionalism would be dealt with firmly. This reshuffle reflects that approach,” the leader said.

He added that care was taken to ensure that no inductions would spark rebellion among various factions within the party, a problem that has plagued the Bengal BJP since its rapid expansion between 2019 and 2021.

Minority Outreach and Political Messaging

Ali Hossain’s return has drawn particular attention in political circles. In 2021, months after the Assembly elections, he was replaced by a member of the Christian community in the minority morcha leadership. That decision had triggered criticism, both within and outside the party, that the BJP was struggling to maintain minority representation in a state where Muslims account for nearly one-third of the population.

Reacting to his reinstatement, Hossain said he was aware of the challenges ahead. “I have to work hard in the coming months. It is a mistake to think that no Muslim votes for the BJP. There are many Muslims who have strong nationalist feelings,” he said.

According to the 2011 Census, Muslims constitute around 30% of West Bengal’s population, while Christians make up about 0.72%. Political analysts note that even a modest increase in Muslim support could significantly alter electoral equations in several constituencies, especially in north and central Bengal.

RSS Influence and Organisational Roots

The reshuffle has also highlighted the continuing influence of leaders with a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) background in the Bengal BJP. Debjit Sarkar, who had earlier served as a general secretary, has been appointed the state unit’s chief spokesperson. The post was previously held by Samik Bhattacharya himself until July 2024.

Bhattacharya, like several other senior BJP leaders in Bengal, has an RSS background, a factor that the party believes provides organisational discipline and ideological clarity. The renewed prominence of RSS-linked leaders is being interpreted as an effort to stabilise the party after years of rapid expansion, defections from the TMC, and internal power struggles.

This development comes just days after former two-time state BJP president Dilip Ghosh was projected by the party as a frontline leader on January 1. Ghosh, who was an RSS pracharak before joining the Bengal BJP in 2015, remains a polarising but influential figure within the party.

Notable Exclusions and Discontent

While several leaders were reinstated or promoted, some prominent names were conspicuously absent from the new committee. Former state general secretary Sayantan Basu, considered a close aide of Dilip Ghosh and also known for his RSS background, did not find a place in the new line-up. Basu had been dropped from the state committee in 2021 as well.

Similarly, former vice-president Ritesh Tiwari, who was re-inducted into the party only weeks ago after being suspended in 2021 for publicly criticising the leadership, has once again been excluded from the state committee.

In 2021, eight vice-presidents, including Tiwari, were dropped in a major reshuffle, with only Jay Prakash Majumdar later joining the TMC. The repeated exclusion of Basu and Tiwari suggests that the current leadership is reluctant to bring back figures associated with internal dissent or factional loyalties.

Both Basu and Tiwari said on Wednesday that they remain keen to contest the 2026 Assembly elections, indicating that their political ambitions remain intact despite being sidelined organisationally.

Political Reactions and the Road Ahead

The Trinamool Congress, which has dominated Bengal politics since 2011, chose not to comment on the BJP’s reshuffle. TMC leaders dismissed it as an internal matter of the opposition party, though political observers note that the ruling party will closely watch how the BJP’s new team performs on the ground.

For the BJP, the new state committee represents more than a routine organisational exercise. It reflects an attempt to rebuild after the setbacks of 2021, manage internal rivalries, and project a more inclusive image while retaining its ideological core.

With less than two years to go before the Assembly elections, the effectiveness of this new leadership team will be judged by its ability to expand the party’s social base, contain factionalism, and translate organisational changes into electoral gains. Whether the reshuffle marks a genuine reset or merely a cosmetic change will become clearer as the BJP ramps up its campaign across West Bengal in the months ahead.