The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal will launch a two-pronged campaign from Tuesday, with party supremo Mamata Banerjee and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee leading parallel outreach drives ahead of the crucial Assembly polls, even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gears up for an aggressive push with at least a dozen rallies and roadshows by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah.
Chief minister Banerjee is scheduled to launch her campaign from Alipurduar in north Bengal, a bastion of the BJP, while her nephew and the party’s national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, will kick-start his campaign from Patharpratima in South 24 Parganas, a TMC stronghold.
“On Sunday, Mamata Banerjee would first hold a meeting with leaders and party workers in her own constituency, Bhabanipur. From March 24, she would launch the party’s campaign from Alipurduar in north Bengal. On the same day, Abhishek would launch a parallel campaign from Patharpratima in South 24 Parganas,” a senior TMC leader said.
Officials said that while Mamata is also likely to hold rallies in Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts on the same day, Abhishek will travel to Nandigram on March 25.
Bhabanipur in south Kolkata is set to witness a high-voltage political battle this year. While Mamata Banerjee has been winning the seat since 2011, the BJP has fielded Suvendu Adhikari from the constituency this time.
At least 46,812 names were deleted from the electoral roll in Bhabanipur after the SIR, while another 14,154 voters are under adjudication.
In the Nandigram Assembly constituency, the TMC has fielded Pabitra Kar, an aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, against him.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to hold at least a dozen rallies and roadshows in the run-up to the crucial Assembly polls in West Bengal, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to address around 14 rallies and roadshows.
Senior BJP leaders and chief ministers of multiple BJP-ruled states, including J. P. Nadda, Rajnath Singh, Yogi Adityanath and Rekha Gupta, among others, are also likely to hold a series of rallies in the poll-bound state.
