“Bengal Ready for Change,” says Bhajan Lal Sharma : Promises Rajasthan Style Development

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma on Friday said that people in West Bengal were showing signs of wanting political change and claimed that development similar to Rajasthan would reach the state under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He made the remarks while campaigning in Siliguri for BJP candidate Shankar Ghosh, the sitting MLA from the seat.  

Sharma’s visit came as part of the BJP’s wider campaign push in West Bengal ahead of the 2026 Assembly election, which the Election Commission of India has scheduled in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with counting set for May 4. The BJP has been sending chief ministers from other states to campaign in Bengal, The Telegraph reported that Sharma was the third such chief minister used by the party in the state campaign, after Yogi Adityanath and Himanta Biswa Sarma.  

During the roadshow in Siliguri, Sharma said his interactions with people suggested a strong desire for political change in Bengal. UNI reported that he alleged central funds meant for West Bengal had not been used properly and said this was one reason, in his view, that the state had not reached its development potential. He also told reporters that BJP candidates would win and that the state would soon see a “double engine government.”  

Sharma also met members of the Prabasi Rajasthani community in Siliguri after the roadshow. According to the Telegraph, he told them that people from Rajasthan living there had played an important role in the area’s development and social service. NDTV reported that his two day Bengal visit included roadshows, public meetings, talks with industry groups, and programmes with the Rajasthani community in both Siliguri and Kolkata.  

The Bengal campaign has become a major political battleground for the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress. Sharma’s comments were aimed at presenting the BJP as the party of change and development, while also linking his party’s campaign in Bengal to the governance model it is promoting in Rajasthan and at the national level.