The composition of West Bengal's first BJP government has brought into sharp focus the three distinct power centres that shape the party's politics in the state. While chief minister Suvendu Adhikari sits at the centre of the administration, the cabinet reflects a careful balancing act between leaders loyal to him, veterans associated with former state BJP president Dilip Ghosh, and a powerful bloc of ministers with deep roots in the RSS.

Within the first power centre, several ministers and senior legislators who backed Adhikari during internal organisational battles before the Assembly election have secured important positions in the new government. Leaders such as Arjun Singh, Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay and Shankar Ghosh are widely regarded as being close to the chief minister. Their inclusion underlines Adhikari's seemingly growing influence over the party's organisational and governmental structures.

The second bloc consists of leaders associated with Dilip Ghosh, widely credited with transforming the BJP from a marginal force into a serious electoral challenger in West Bengal. In recent years, the balance of power seems to have shifted away from him somewhat, and his annoyance with the current leadership has not always remained hidden. At one point........

© National Herald