With Durga Puja over, the BJP is back in election mode, focusing on the upcoming Calcutta and Howrah municipal corporation polls.
The elections are likely to take place in late November or December.
BJP sources said the party’s primary focus was selecting suitable candidates for all wards in the two corporations, with particular emphasis on the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). The party has already set up drop boxes to invite applications from aspiring candidates before the final selection process.
Union minister of state Sukanta Majumdar, the BJP's in-charge of the KMC elections, told The Telegraph on Thursday that the party would prioritise the candidates' “winnability” over other parameters.
“For elections, the most important thing is winnability. We are now screening the applications and proposals submitted by aspiring candidates,” Majumdar, the former state BJP president, a two-term MP from Balurghat and a Union minister of state, said.
Asked when the candidates would be selected, he said: "Next month."
A source said Bengal minder Sunil Bansal would soon meet senior leaders and committee members of the KMC polls to fix the candidates.
The KMC has 144 wards, but the number will increase to 209 after delimitation.
BJP sources said the party would prioritise the profile, background and popularity of aspiring candidates over their party ties.
“If it were a matter of selecting people for organisational posts, we could have focused on their connections with the party. However, these are elections, and the winnability of candidates is the main priority,” Majumdar said.
“The KMC has traditionally been known as Chhoto Lalbari, while Writers’ Buildings, the former state secretariat, was known as Boro Lalbari. After conquering the state, it is important for any party to secure control of the KMC,” a senior BJP leader said.
Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari had earlier urged voters in Calcutta to ensure the BJP’s victory in all wards.
There was buzz that around 20 Trinamool Congress councillors had contacted the BJP, seeking tickets to contest the civic polls. State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya, however, dismissed the possibility.
The NCPI, the party that 20 Trinamool MPs joined after the BJP came to power in Bengal, had expressed a desire to contest the KMC polls as a BJP ally. The BJP, however, ruled it out.
On Thursday, Mamata Banerjee loyalist and MLA Kunal Ghosh claimed some Trinamool councillors would meet members of the rebel Ritabrata Banerjee faction on Friday to explore the possibility of contesting the civic polls as NCPI candidates with BJP support.