The fierce assembly elections in West Bengal have the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the main opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), battling it out on the streets on Monday. Less than 48 hours before the second phase on Wednesday, campaigns of mega leaders reached out to the masses in a last attempt ahead of the 6 pm deadline. Mamata Banerjee ended her campaign with a massive roadshow in South Kolkata, as scores of people lined the streets to watch the TMC supremo exude confidence and greet people in the hope of coming to power for a fourth term.
Mamata's party leaders walked beside her, including MP Sagarika Ghosh, Tollygunge candidate Aroop Biswas, and Rashbihari candidate Debashish Kumar. Mamata was also seen riding pillion on a motorcycle wearing a helmet, which turned out to be the highlight of the last day of campaigning.
With Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejaswi Yadav, and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren extending their support to the ruling party in the state, Mamata is sending out a message that she is not alone and has the support of opposition parties to combat the might of the saffron party.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his outreach to the masses in Barrackpore, North 24 Parganas district, which is one of the 142 constituencies going to the polls in the second phase. The PM made a confident remark about being back in the state for the oath-taking ceremony after the government is formed next week. Results will be announced on May 4. “Visiting Bengal this time evokes a distinct and unique feeling within me. Despite the scorching heat, I feel no fatigue. This is my last rally in the Bengal election. I will return from Bengal with the conviction that I will be back again on the day of the oath-taking ceremony after May 4,” said PM Modi.
The PM also held a roadshow in Barrackpore, waving at people on the streets as the car went past people lining the streets. In an open letter to the people, the PM said, "The attachment I have had towards Bengal has been a devotion to Shakti. This has been the energy center of my personal spiritual journey.”
The top leadership of the BJP has been campaigning in the state over the last few months, with the weekend and Monday being the finale of the show of strength to reach out to people in West Bengal. The outsider party pitch of the TMC has resonated with a section of voters, while the saffron party has made all efforts in their voter outreach to depict their proximity to the people. In the silent period before Wednesday, it’s a time of patience and resolve. With a 92.7 per cent voter turnout in the first phase of elections across 152 constituencies, both the BJP and TMC claim their respective victories already. While perceptions build up, the real test will be at the ballot box in the high-octane battle of the Bhawanipore constituency between Mamata and her arch-rival, Suvendu Adhikari, hoping to beat the TMC supremo again after the last Assembly elections in Nandigram.
