India, Jan. 25 -- For Nitin Nabin, the newly minted president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, West Bengal represents far more than just another electoral battleground. It is his first major test, a political crucible that will define his leadership and the party's ambitions in eastern India. Having chosen the poll-bound state for his maiden tour after assuming charge, Nabin has signalled that cracking the Bengal code remains the BJP's most critical organizational priority.

Scheduled to arrive in Kolkata on January 27 for a two-day visit, Nabin will hold closed-door meetings with top state leadership before addressing what is expected to be his first major public rally as national president on January 28 in the strategically significant Du...