Durgapur, July 15 (Reporter) The BJP leadership in West Bengal is busy making arrangements to greet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday as his brief visit is seen as a precursor to the saffron camp's renewed attempt to upstage Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the 2026 assembly elections. After being elected unopposed as party president of the state unit, Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya, known for his coolness and fine oration, has been trying to unite the rank and file of the party before the 2026 polls. Former state president Dilip Ghosh, who had been sidelined from the party's mainstream activity, especially after his visit to Digha in response to Mamata Banerjee's invitation for the inauguration of Jagannath temple on April 30, will be seen at the proposed PM rally in Durgapur on July 18. Ghosh, under whose presidential term BJP gained 18 Lok Sabha seats in 2019, was conspicuous by his absence in PM's Alipurduar meeting on May 29 last, and also during the election of Samik Bhattacharya recently. However, 60-year-old Ghosh last week called on Bhattacharya and assured him of his full support to defeat the TMC in the Assembly polls. He also visited New Delhi to meet the top party leadership and again assured them of full cooperation as "an ordinary member". Ghosh, a former Lok Sabha member, doesn't hold any party post now. However, it is not known if he will be invited at the Nehru Stadium dais to be with the PM, where Bhattacharya's predecessor Sukanta Majumdar, LoP Suvendu Adhikari and the leadership of Asansol and Durgapur areas will be seen. Asansol South MLA Agnimitra Paul said she visited Nehru stadium yesterday to oversee the preparation for PM's visit on July 18. "I had the privilege of being present at Nehru Stadium, Durgapur, to review the preparations. I was honoured to be accompanied by Sunil Bansal, one of national general secretaries of BJP," she said. "Together, we oversaw the arrangements to ensure a flawless and inspiring programme that will reflect the aspirations of the people of Bengal and the dynamic vision of our Prime Minister," Paul wrote on her X handle. Before coming to this industrial city of West Bardhaman , PM Modi is scheduled to visit Bihar for an election campaign, where the assembly polls are scheduled later this year. The PM's address in Bengal will likely cover two Lok Sabha constituencies -- Bardhaman-Durgapur and Asansol. The BJP narrowly lost both the seats in 2024. The party had bagged the two seats among 18 it won in 2019. "Both these Lok Sabha and the assembly constituencies comprising them are extremely crucial for us. Durgapur is the ideal choice for a venue,” said a party leader. Durgapur is also logistically advantageous considering its close proximity with the Andal airport, where the PM would land and catch the flight on his way back, said Bhattacharya. Modi will address a rally in Durgapur on July 18, after six years and a few days ahead of Trinamool Congress' mega July 21 Sahid Diwas, which also holds great importance ahead of the polls for the 294-member Assembly. The annual Sahid Diwas is the TMC's flagship event where chairman Mamata Banerjee spells out her priorities before her ordinary party workers...////...