BJP membership in Bengal is far lower than the national average. Despite Amit Shah’s target of enrolling 1 crore members, the Bengal unit has registered only around 20 lakh, leading to criticism from Sunil Bansal, the Central General Secretary. He accused local legislators of incompetence and warned them about their chances in the 2026 Assembly elections. Under Bansal’s direction, the Leader of the Opposition called a special meeting to boost membership drives, but 30 out of 66 BJP MLAs were absent. This raised concerns about the Opposition leader’s control over the party, with poor coordination between him and most legislators. The absence of nearly half the MLAs signaled deeper leadership issues.
30 MLAs Absent in Suvendu’s Meeting, Rift Within Bengal BJP Apparent
