Kolkata, Sep 24 The BJP on Thursday retained Amitabh Chakraborty as its general secretary (organisation) in West Bengal for a third consecutive term, while moving Satish Dhond out of the state and giving him organisational responsibilities in Maharashtra.
The appointments are part of a wider organisational restructuring announced by BJP president Nitin Nabin, with the party naming general secretaries (organisation), joint general secretaries (organisation) and other functionaries for several states with immediate effect.
Chakraborty’s continuation means he will remain in charge of the BJP’s organisational affairs in the state, where the party has 43 organisational districts.
The move also comes with a change in the structure of the state organisation.
Dhond, who had been working alongside Chakraborty as joint general secretary (organisation), has been appointed to the same post in Maharashtra.
Chakraborty was first brought to the state in 2019 as joint general secretary (organisation), when Subrata Chattopadhyay was the state general secretary (organisation). He took over as the principal organisational functionary in 2020.
He has since overseen the party’s organisational machinery through the 2021 and 2026 Assembly elections, apart from the Lok Sabha and other electoral exercises.
The BJP formed its first government in West Bengal this year, making the organisational role particularly significant as the party moves from being the principal opposition force to running the state government.
The BJP’s general secretary (organisation) is traditionally drawn from the RSS and plays a key role in coordinating the party’s organisational machinery, including its cadre and grassroots network.
Chakraborty’s third consecutive term is also notable against the backdrop of the party’s convention of limiting consecutive terms in some political posts, though organisational general secretaries have historically served for longer periods in the state.
Before Chakraborty, Debabrata Singh served as the state’s general secretary (organisation) from 1990 to 2003, while Amalendu Chattopadhyay held the post from 2003 to 2016. Subrata Chattopadhyay subsequently served in the position for around four years.
(PTI News)
