Sign in Subscribe
Political parties

BJP Forms High-Rise Committee to Tap into Bengal's Potential Vote Bank

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

As the Bengal Assembly elections draw near, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has formed a new committee called the "High-Rise Committee" to focus on residents of high-rise buildings in Kolkata and its suburbs. The committee's aim is to tap into the potential vote bank of the affluent and upper middle class who live in these high-rises but often do not turn out to vote. A survey conducted by the BJP for the 2026 Assembly elections found "a lot of anti-ruling party sentiment among the affluent and upper middle class in these high-rises," which the party hopes to capitalize on.

Key Takeaways:

  • The BJP has formed a new committee called the "High-Rise Committee" to focus on residents of high-rise buildings in Kolkata and its suburbs.
  • The committee's core team will have 7-8 members who will be responsible for planning and execution, with others involved in the process.
  • The committee will assign leaders to specific constituencies within the city with high concentrations of high-rise buildings.
  • The main aim of the committee is to ensure residents of high-rise complexes come out and vote, with the party hoping to tap into the potential vote bank.
  • A survey conducted by the BJP found "a lot of anti-ruling party sentiment among the affluent and upper middle class in these high-rises."
  • The committee has been formed to change the voting behavior of these residents, who often do not turn out to vote.
  • A similar committee exists only in Mumbai, and the Bengal BJP formed it after analyzing class structure, socio-economic conditions, and demography.
  • Only party leaders who regularly visit well-known or landmark high-rise buildings in the city will be part of the committee.
  • The BJP hopes to reach out to and encourage affluent residents who do not come out to vote.
  • The party has got special attention to high-rises after reviewing the 2021 Assembly election results, which showed most voters living in Kolkata's high-rises did not go to the polls.
  • The members of the committee will start communicating with the residents of Kolkata's high-rise buildings on a regular basis.

Statistics:

  • The committee has 7-8 members in its core team.
  • The committee will focus on residents of high-rise buildings in Kolkata, its suburbs, and Durgapur.
  • 2026 Assembly elections
  • 2021 Assembly election results

Sources:

  • A senior party leader: "We are focusing on every strata of society this time. We are leaving no stone unturned -- every vote counts. The affluent do not come out to vote; we will reach out to them and encourage them to vote."
  • BJP sources: "High-rises are mainly concentrated in Kolkata, its suburbs, and Durgapur, and these will be the areas of focus for votes."
  • A top Bengal BJP leader: "There is now a proliferation of high-rise housing in Kolkata and the adjacent New Town. However, a section of the residents there are apathetic to politics. Another section believes that it is possible to build a new India by following the path shown by Narendra Modi."
  • A BJP insider: "The members of this committee will start communicating with the residents of Kolkata's high-rise buildings on a regular basis. Our only aim is to get the residents of high-rises to the booths on election day."

Read more