The Great Bengal Polls Show: BJP’s TV Troop To Trace Mamata’s Footsteps In Rural Outreach
It is also seen as an attempt by BJP to recast its image as a party of 'outsiders' from Hindi heartland with no grassroots connect.
Published : October 16, 2025 at 10:46 PM IST
Kolkata: With West Bengal assembly polls scheduled next year, the BJP seems out to beat its arch-rival Trinamool Congress in its own game.
In a move that replicates a strategy pioneered by Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to send its television panellists to rural Bengal. In accordance with the saffron party war room strategists' wish, the party will start rushing its spokespersons, who will fan out to remote areas, spending nights in rural places to understand and address the everyday struggles of rural residents ahead of the crucial 2026 assembly elections.
According to party leaders, the initiative, with an eye on the assembly polls, is still being fine-tuned and is designed to strengthen the BJP’s public relations in Bengal's far-flung areas, providing party spokespersons with firsthand insight into local issues.
TV bigwigs in Bengal backwoods: A Mamta imprint
Before the last panchayat elections, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee had instructed the party leadership to stay overnight in villages to understand the minds of the people.
Her instructions were followed throughout the state, and the party reaped the benefit during the election as the outcome was in TMC's favour. According to party sources, Bhupendra Yadav, the observer of the Bengal assembly elections, held a special meeting with the BJP's West Bengal media cell.
The meeting, which lasted for about two hours, mainly featured a discussion on the campaign strategy for the assembly elections. He gave clear-cut instructions about the campaign and area-specific issues to be highlighted by the party.
According to reliable BJP sources, Yadav finalised the names of 30-40 party television panellists in the state. Each of them will visit the remote areas of the state and stay there for three to four days.
Lesson from past poll debacle, focus on grassroots outreach
Notably, the initiave is seen as a desperate attempt by BJP to recast its image as a party of 'outsiders' from Hindi heartland with no understanding of the pulse of Bengalis in West Bengal, a narrative effectively used by Mamata Banerjee during the 2021 state assembly elections.
"Our party's top leaders want to ensure an extensive public outreach in the coming months, a time frame crucial for poll prospects. A direct and heart-to-heart communication will be key for us to win people's hearts for the party's advantage during next year's assembly election. We have to get a proper idea of what kind of problems the people of those areas are facing. We have to review how solutions to those problems can be found. We have to solve those problems by listening to the sufferings of the people," a party leader, who requested anonymity, said.
He said the party's observer is stressing 'people-to-people' communication in remote and backward areas, which face various problems. Apart from the common issues affecting schools, colleges, hospitals, drinking water, the local health system, and transport, there are many other problems.
"Television panellists need to understand and inform the audience about those grassroots problems which are yet to come to the surface. It's essential to understand problems which are beyond the obvious, apart from known issues," the leader added.
According to sources, initially, the emphasis is being placed on launching this program in tribal-dominated areas. Some areas have been initially identified for this.
The places are Gura block of Purulia, Saltora block of Bankura and backward blocks of Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar districts. However, a list of such blocks is being prepared in other districts of the state as well.
According to the leader, the outreach is not just for the assembly elections, but also directed towards maintaining a long-term bond with the grassroots people.
"The condition of common people in remote areas is really pathetic. Despite knowing everything, the ruling party is indifferent towards their grievances. Therefore, the party’s TV panellists' role in outreach is crucial. They will spend the night listening to the people’s pain and suffering and discussing solutions. They are familiar with our party's functioning as they regularly present issues to the people on the television screen," he said.
Another leader of the Bengal BJP claimed in recent times that there has been a boost in the party's social media followers. "In our social media pages, many people openly voice support for the BJP, hailing its grassroots coect initiative. Our party's media cell is very active in social media outreach. The BJP has a deep connection with the mass about the results will be in our favour in the coming assembly polls," he said.
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