By early 2017, the state BJP organisation was divided into five zones – north Bengal, Rarh (south-western), Nabadwip (south-central), Hoogh...
By early 2017, the state BJP organisation was divided into five zones – north Bengal, Rarh (south-western), Nabadwip (south-central), Hooghly-Midnapore (southern) and Kolkata. Each zone was to have a committee which would be convened by a state executive member. At the next level of organisation were the district committees. Some of them were partitioned into two and some into three.
Overall, the district committees were shaped to correspond with Lok Sabha constituencies. This was done in phases. As a result, while the state had twenty-three districts, the BJP created thirty-eight organisational districts.
At the next level, the mandal committees were split into two to three mandals each. Whereas previously, mandal committees looked after 210–270 booths, after 2017 they had only sixty to ninety booths under them. Thereby the number of mandals rose, from 464 in 2016 to over 1,200 by 2018, according to Dilip Ghosh.
The other focus was on creating shakti kendras, comprising five to nine booths. For this purpose, vistaraks were appointed. The BJP state leadership was asked to find one vistarak each for the state’s 294 assembly and 42 Lok Sabha seats. They would have to take responsibility in a district other than their own district of residence and live in...
