Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address an election rally in Cooch Behar district on Sunday, in what could strengthen the Bharatiya Janata Party’s outreach in north Bengal.
Modi will speak at the ‘Bijoy Sankalpa Sabha’ at the historic Ras Mela grounds in the afternoon, formally launching the BJP’s campaign for the upcoming assembly elections. This will be the prime minister’s first rally in the state since the election schedule was announced.
He is expected to outline the party’s vision for a ‘Developed West Bengal’ and highlight the impact of central government welfare schemes. Modi is also likely to launch a sharp attack on the Mamata Banerjee government, citing issues such as alleged misgovernance, law and order, and corruption.
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The prime minister has previously addressed rallies at the same venue during the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, as well as the 2021 assembly polls.
Elections to West Bengal’s 294-member assembly will be held in two phases—on April 23 and 29—with counting scheduled for May 4.
Modi’s last public appearance in the state was on March 14, a day before the elections were announced, when he addressed a rally at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata and inaugurated development projects worth around Rs 18,680 crore.
The BJP, which had increased its tally to 77 seats in the previous assembly elections, aims to wrest power from the Trinamool Congress, even as multiple pre-poll surveys predict a return of Mamata Banerjee’s party, albeit with a reduced number of seats.
