Discord in Bengal BJP over poor performance

One significant factor is the influence wielded by Suvendu Adhikari, who played a major role in candidate selection.

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In the aftermath of the dismal performance in West Bengal, multitude of factors that contributed to the BJP performance, in which it could only win on 12 seats, down from 18 that it had won the last time, have started to surface, most of which have been shared by state party leaders, on and off the record.

One significant factor is the influence wielded by Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, who played a pivotal role in candidate selection.

Adhikari's considerable sway, due to the trust that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had reposed on him, led to his decision on as many as 15 candidates out of the 42 contesting seats in Bengal. All his suggestions, that included moving former state president Dilip Ghosh from Medinipur to Burdwan Durgapur were accepted blindly by the central leadership.

However, despite his considerable hold and freedom, the majority of candidates he backed failed to secure a victory. In his home turf of Tamluk and Kanthi too, the BJP candidates were engaged in a tough battle and were able to win with a lot of effort. However, in the other two seats of Jhargram and Medinpur, BJP lost.