India, July 5 -- Bengal BJP appointed Samik Bhattacharya as president, signalling shift from hardline to moderate stance.

Kolkata:On Thursday afternoon, by the time BJP Central Observer Ravi Shankar Prasad stood up to announce the new Bengal BJP president's name, the party's rank and file already knew a course correction was underway. From now on, the strident anti-Muslim stance espoused by leaders like Sukanta Majumdar and Suvendu Adhikari would be replaced by the moderation of the new incumbent - Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya - known for his eloquence.

The selection - though conducted through the democratic process of filing nominations and having provisions for voting - remained a one-horse race, with Bhattacharya the sole candid...