West Bengal BJP ropes in Amit Shah, Jaitley

Kolkata, Aug 6: Trying to revive the fortunes of the party in a state where it has traditionally been weak, the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership in West Bengal has roped in the services of two of party stalwarts to boost the morale of its cadres.

While party president Amit Shah would visit the state twice in the coming months, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is slated to arrive in the city Aug 24.

"Jaitley will come to Kolkata Aug 24 to attend a conference of intellectuals," state BJP president Rahul Sinha told media persons here.

Shah would undertake his maiden tour Sep 6-7 as the party chief.

"He will attend the state committee meeting in Siliguri (of Darjeeling district) Sep 6-7. On Sep 7 he will be the main speaker at a public meeting at Bagha Jatin Park of Siliguri," said Sinha.

The BJP won 17 percent of votes and bagged two Lok Sabha seats in the state in the general elections earlier this year. This was the party's highest vote percentage in West Bengal.

IANS