Kolkata, August 18: Following a significant victory in recent elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appointed two prominent leaders from West Bengal to its National Executive Committee. This move underscores the importance of the party’s West Bengal unit to its national leadership.
Among the new appointees is Manoj Tigga, the BJP Member of Parliament from the Alipurduar constituency in North Bengal. Previously, he served as the Chief Whip of the BJP legislative party in the West Bengal Assembly. Additionally, Madhuchanda Kar, a well-known medical professional and former vice president of the party’s West Bengal unit, has also been included.
Tigga has been appointed as the National Secretary of the BJP, while Kar takes on the role of National Vice President.
In 2020, two key figures from West Bengal were also given significant positions in the BJP’s National Executive Committee. At that time, the late Mukul Roy, who transitioned from the Trinamool Congress to the BJP, was appointed as National Vice President, and Anupam Hazra was named National Secretary.
After the BJP’s electoral success in West Bengal this year, there were expectations for greater representation from the state in the party’s all-India leadership. For the first time in six years, two representatives from West Bengal have been appointed as central office bearers in the BJP.
Although Madhuchanda Kar officially joined the BJP in 2020, she had previously served as the state vice president of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s student organization, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). After her student life, she had not been active in politics.
As a cancer specialist, she became the co-convener of the state BJP’s medical cell in 2020 and quickly rose to become a member of the state executive. In 2022, when Sukanta Majumdar was the president of the West Bengal BJP, Kar served as the state vice president. However, she was not included when Soumik Bhattacharya became the state president and formed a new committee.
Following the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, several prominent figures joined the BJP, but many distanced themselves from the party after its defeat in the 2021 assembly elections. Kar, however, remained committed. She served as a booth agent for the BJP in the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation elections in ward number 39. There were speculations that she might receive a party ticket for this year’s assembly elections in Bidhannagar, but that did not materialize.
In contrast, Manoj Tigga is a more seasoned leader within the BJP, possessing extensive experience in parliamentary politics. He hails from a remote village in the Madarihat block of Alipurduar district. In 2004, he contested the Alipurduar Lok Sabha seat as a BJP candidate for the first time. Although he did not win, he secured the second position after the Congress party.
He ran again in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and the 2011 assembly elections for the Madarihat constituency but faced defeats both times. However, he achieved victory in the 2016 assembly elections as the BJP candidate from Madarihat. He also won in the 2021 assembly elections. While Suvendu Adhikari became the leader of the opposition, Tigga was appointed as the Chief Whip of the BJP legislative party in West Bengal. Subsequently, he was made the district president of the BJP to strengthen the party in Alipurduar district.
For the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Tigga has been nominated as the BJP candidate from the Alipurduar constituency. After winning, he became an MP and later served as the state vice president. Now, he has been appointed as the National Secretary.
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SC
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