Kolkata, Dec 31 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday directed leaders of the West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to place special emphasis on 28 Assembly constituencies under four organisational districts in and around the state capital Kolkata for the crucial Assembly elections scheduled next year.

HM Shah issued the direction at a meeting with party leaders on Wednesday, the last day of his three-day visit to West Bengal. Besides core leaders of the BJP’s state unit, grassroots-level organisational leaders from the four districts were also asked to attend the meeting.

The four organisational districts are Kolkata (Dakshin) and Kolkata (Uttar) within the city, Jadavpur in South 24 Parganas, and Dum Dum in North 24 Parganas. Incidentally, these four organisational districts also correspond to four Lok Sabha constituencies.

“The Union Home Minister reminded us that BJP candidates trailed in 26 of the 28 Assembly constituencies under these four organisational districts in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Despite that, he has set a target of winning a majority of these 28 Assembly seats in 2026, with special emphasis on constituencies where the party’s defeat margins were thin in 2024,” said a BJP state committee member.

After attending the organisational meeting at the Science City Auditorium in the eastern outskirts of Kolkata, Shah visited the Thanthania Goddess Kali temple in north Kolkata and offered prayers.

State Congress leaders and workers, led by state Congress president Suvankar Sarkar, staged protest demonstrations along Shah’s route to the temple. However, a large police contingent erected barricades and ensured a reasonable distance between Shah’s convoy and the protesters.

After offering prayers, Shah’s convoy proceeded to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. He is scheduled to return to New Delhi later in the night.

–IANS

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