Shamil Bhattacharya (left) and Suvendu Adhikari (right) were the two main pillars of BJP campaign

As counting trends give the BJP a comfortable lead over the incumbent Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, the focus is on how the Bengal BJP managed to script a stellar turnaround in the eastern state. The BJP won 77 seats in the 2021 Assembly polls, emerging as the second-largest party in Bengal. But in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, its score dropped to 12 from 18 in the 2019 general election. This time, however, it appears set to make a massive comeback.

Here are some factors that powered BJP’s Bengal surge

Shamik Bhattacharya as State BJP Chief

In July last year, the BJP’s central leadership appointed Shamik Bhattacharya as the BJP’s state president in West Bengal. This was a significant move because Bhattacharya was a BJP old-timer from the days of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani, when the BJP was a peripheral force in Bengal’s political landscape.

Bhattacharya’s appointment has reaped dividends.…