Lucknow: The oath-taking ceremony of Suvendu Adhikari as the first BJP chief minister of West Bengal on Saturday was attended by NDA partners from Uttar Pradesh — a development that turned the spotlight on the saffron outfit’s bid to loft its alliance unity beyond the Hindi heartland of UP and Bihar.Besides chief minister Yogi Adityanath, deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, BJP allies from UP like RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary, Apna Dal (S) president Anupriya Patel, SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar and Nishad Party president Sanjay Nishad were present on stage even as Adhikari and his four cabinet ministers — Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtania, Kshudiram Tudu and Nisith Pramanik — took oath.According to sources, the presence of UP allies on the Bengal stage is a calculated move with several layers. A senior BJP functionary said that by bringing in allies from UP, inarguably one of the most politically significant states, the BJP aimed to project the NDA as a cohesive, pan-India front. This countered the narrative of the BJP being a lone political crusader, besides demonstrating how its partners invested in the party’s expansion beyond their own regional borders.Analysts said that West Bengal has a massive population of Hindi-speaking residents, many of whom had roots in eastern UP and Bihar. The presence of UP allies leaders, having their base in east as well as west UP, aimed to appeal to the non-Bengali-speaking voters, many of whom gathered at the Brigade Ground in Kolkata during the swearing-in ceremony. These voters are said to have played their role even as the BJP stormed to power with an overwhelming majority in Bengal Assembly elections.BJP sources said that the party has been seeking to drive the message of cultural and political continuity between the Hindi heartland and the new administration in Bengal.“This was also a show of caste unity falling in line with BJP’s Hindutva plank,” said JP Shukla, a political commentator.Analysts said that inviting its allies served as a “victory lap” for the BJP. It was also seen as a visual reminder to the TMC and the opposition’s INDIA bloc that the BJP’s machinery is backed by a broad regional consensus. Integrating UP allies into Bengal’s political milestones was also seen as suggestive of a blueprint for a unified campaign strategy where regional partners would support each other across state lines to counter the opposition bloc in the upcoming poll battles.Not surprisingly, this also set the stage for the BJP for next electoral square-offs, including the UP polls due next year and subsequently the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
