West Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya: Man with no follower in BJP, yet trusted to unite a fractured party
The saffron party has handed him the baton to lead the organisation into the crucial Assembly elections that are just 9-10 months away.
Originally from Panchanantala in Howrah, Bhattacharya first came into contact with the RSS there. During his student days at Cotton College in Guwahati, he briefly worked with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
A good speaker in Bengali, English and Hindi, the 61-year-old Bhattacharya has consistently maintained his stance with dignity and without a trace of malice toward his opponents.
He has endured several political ups and downs. At one point, he had to face internal strife within the Youth Morcha. Yet he remained unwavering in his mission. When confronted with uncomfortable questions about his past in the party, Bhattacharya often responds by quoting his favourite Bengali poet, Premendra Mitra.
His loyalty to the BJP is resolute. He reportedly remains indifferent to internal gossip or dissent.
Bhattacharya was first elected to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly in a by-election from the Basirhat South constituency a decade ago. Though his tenure as an MLA was brief, he earned praise for his eloquent speeches in the Assembly. However, back then, he was not particularly known as a strong organiser.
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