Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address three rallies in West Bengal on Saturday, ramping up the Bharatiya Janata Party’s campaign for the upcoming assembly elections. This will mark Modi’s third visit to the state since the Election Commission announced the poll schedule in mid-March.
Tuesday’s rallies are scheduled at Katwa in Purba Bardhaman, Jangipur in the Muslim-majority Murshidabad district, and Kushmandi in Dakshin Dinajpur. The events are politically significant, as the BJP seeks to expand its footprint in central and northern Bengal and mount a serious challenge to the ruling Trinamool Congress.
During his earlier visits, Modi sharply criticised the Mamata Banerjee government over law and order issues and alleged illegal infiltration. He launched his state campaign on April 5 in Cooch Behar, highlighting the gherao of judicial officers involved in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
On April 9, Modi addressed three more rallies at Haldia, Asansol, and Suri, focusing on what he described as “industrial decay” and the “infiltration menace” in the state.
Elections for the 294-member assembly will be held in two phases, on April 23 and 29, with vote counting scheduled for May 4.
Having increased its tally to 77 seats in the 2021 assembly polls, the BJP aims to wrest power from the Trinamool Congress, even as early opinion polls suggest a slight edge for Mamata Banerjee’s party.