KOLKATA: BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Kolkata at around 1 am on Saturday (Dceember 19) on a two-day visit to take stock of his party's affairs and to strength the party organisational support in the rural outskirts. Shah's visit to Bengal comes ahead of the high voltage 2021 assembly elections in West Bengal, which is only four months away.
In a tweet upon his arrival in Kolkata, he wrote, "I bow to this revered land of greats like Gurudev Tagore, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and Syama Prasad Mookerjee."
Speculations are rife that Suvendu Adhikari, who gave up his cabinet portfolios and the Trinamool Congress, may join the BJP during Shah's visit along with a slew of disgruntled TMC leaders, including some MLAs.
Also Read: Desertions in TMC as Amit Shah visits West Bengal; here's what happening in state ahead of 2021 assembly election
Shah is scheduled to address roadshows and attend public rallies in two western districts of Bengal - Midnapore and Birbhum - during his two-day visit. He will address a public rally at Midnapore on Saturday where a number of TMC leaders are likely to join the saffron party.
The Union Minister is proposed to visit the Ramkrishna Mission and Siddheshwari Kali temple in the district. In the evening, he will address a political rally. In between, Shah will have lunch at a farmer`s residence at Belijuri village in Midnapore. After his day's programme, the Union minister will return to Kolkata and is likely to have a meeting with his party colleagues at a hotel in Kolkata's Rajarhat.
On Sunday, he will be in Bolpur in Birbhum district. He will visit the Visva Bharati University and is slated to have lunch at a Bengali folk singer's house. A roadshow in Birbhum has also been scheduled for Sunday. The Union Home Minister is expected to interact with the locals and visit farmers` households in the district, party sources said.
The BJP's state chief Dilip Ghosh has said that Shah and party president J P Nadda would visit West Bengal every month till the assembly elections, likely in April-May, are over.
Nadda was on a day-long visit to north Bengal in October and came on a two-day tour last week, while Shah was in the state for two days in November.
