The battle within the BJP in Bengal
The BJP in West Bengal is facing internal friction following its rise to power, as Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari attempts to consolidate control by absorbing existing political networks. This has created a power struggle between the RSS, party leadership, and the Chief Minister's faction.
Why it matters
The internal conflict illustrates the challenges of political transition in 'party societies' where established patronage networks often persist despite changes in electoral leadership.
One hundred days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ended 15 years of Trinamool Congress rule in West Bengal, a consequential battle is unfolding in the State within the BJP itself.
By taking oath as Bengal’s first BJP Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari inherited a State that had voted for rupture. Voters rejected extortion, strongmen, patronage, unreliable employment, and the migration of young Bengalis. The mandate carried special weight for the BJP, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) which had spent decades building an organisation in the State when electoral power seemed distant.
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