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KOLKATA: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dilip ghosh, who had been sidelined by the party’s West Bengal unit for months, signaled a return to prominence on Thursday, meeting with Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya and stating his readiness to take on any assigned duty.
ghosh told reporters following his meeting with Bhattacharya that preparations for the assembly elections, anticipated in March-April, were discussed. “I don’t know what responsibility will be given to me, but I have said I am available 24×7,” he said.
This apparent reconciliation follows a visit to the state by Union home minister Amit Shah. Ghosh, who was invited to a closed-door meeting with party leaders by Shah on Wednesday, reported that Shah directed him to focus on preparations for the elections.
“Sometimes people try to isolate some individuals, but at the end of the day, we are all party workers,” Ghosh remarked after his meeting with Bhattacharya, who has been working to bridge divides between different factions within the party.
Ghosh also acknowledged that he still believes the party made a mistake in fielding him from the Durgapur Lok Sabha seat (in west Burdwan district) during the 2024 general elections. “But now our job is to campaign across the state,” he added.
Ghosh, who began his career as an RSS pracharak in 1984, joined the Bengal BJP in 2015 and was subsequently appointed unit president. During his leadership, the BJP secured 18 of the state’s 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2019. However, his second term was cut short, and he was replaced by Sukanta Majumdar. In 2024, the BJP’s representation declined to 12 seats.
Ghosh, previously the lok Sabha member from Midnapore, expressed dissatisfaction with being fielded from the Burdwan-Durgapur seat in 2024, a contest he ultimately lost.
On Thursday, Ghosh indicated a preference for contesting the 2026 state election from the Kharagpur assembly seat, which he had previously won.The seat is currently held by Hiranmoy Chattopadhyay, an actor-turned-politician who switched from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to the BJP.
“I held the seat earlier.If the party wants, then I can contest it,” Ghosh said, reiterating his past concerns about the BJP recruiting TMC leaders and prioritizing them over established party members. Bhattacharya declined to comment on this matter.
In April 2025, Ghosh faced criticism from within the BJP after accepting an invitation from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to the consecration ceremony at the state-built jagannath temple in Digha. BJP workers reportedly shouted slogans at ghosh and confronted his supporters upon their return to Kolkata.
addressing the incident on Thursday, Bhattacharya stated, “It is a closed chapter.”
Ghosh clarified that his visit to the temple was solely for religious purposes. “But if the leadership says it is a closed chapter, I will not comment.”
The ruling TMC in Bengal responded with a jab at the BJP, suggesting that Suvendu Adhikari, who defected
