'Anga Banga Kalinga' will have BJP govts next month Shah

    Kolkata, Apr 24 (PTI) Asserting that people voted with enthusiasm for a change in the first phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said 'Anga, Banga and Kalinga', the ancient kingdoms that ruled present-day eastern India, will have BJP governments next month.
    Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, Shah said the BJP will bag more than 110 of the 152 seats that went to the polls in the first phase on Thursday.
    "People of Bengal broke all records in the first phase and voted with enthusiasm for a change," he said, referring to the over 92 per cent turnout.
    "I thank the Election Commission and security forces for ensuring no deaths during the first phase polls," he said, noting that 1,278 people were injured in the 2016 assembly elections, and 1,681 in 2021.
    Claiming that the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC's exit is imminent, Shah said the BJP will form a government in the state with an absolute majority.
    "We will have governments in 'Anga, Banga and Kalinga' after May 5," he said, referring to the ancient kingdoms that once ruled the region.
    Having come to power in Odisha in 2024, the BJP is now seeking a third consecutive term in Assam and aiming to unseat the 15-year-old TMC government in West Bengal. The party's first chief minister in Bihar, Samrat Choudhary, won a floor test in the assembly earlier in the day.
    Assam voted for its 126-member assembly on April 9, while Bengal will vote for 142 seats in the second phase on April 29. The counting of votes will be held in both the states, along with Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, on May 4.
    "Since the beginning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has had a vision of equal development of both the eastern and western parts of the country, and by forming a government in West Bengal, that vision will be realised," Shah said.
    He said a Bengal-born and Bengali-speaking person will be the first BJP chief minister of West Bengal, alleging that CM Mamata Banerjee was peddling the rumour that "outsiders" would be brought to rule here if the party wins.
    Stating that thousands of hectares of land have been illegally encroached in the state over the years, Shah said, "Like Assam, we will undertake a massive drive to free such lands for the development of Bengal."
    However, he said the BJP's top priority after forming the government in Bengal will be to ensure the safety and security of women.
    "The woman chief minister of a state who says women should not venture out after 7 pm has no right to rule," he said, maintaining that even a teenage girl will be able to safely go out at 1 am if the BJP comes to power.
    Shah said he firmly believes that women of Bengal will give an appropriate reply to the TMC for "opposing" the women's quota legislation in Parliament.
    "I want to assure the constituencies where elections are yet to be held that we will abolish syndicate raj and 'bhaipo (nephew) tax'," he said, alluding to TMC MP Abhishek Bhanerjee, the nephew of the CM.
    Accusing the Mamata Banerjee government of institutionalising corruption in Bengal, Shah alleged that scams worth over Rs 10,000 crore worth took place during TMC rule in the state since 2011.
    Shah said after the BJP comes to power in the state, a White Paper will be released on alleged corruption that happened under the TMC rule, and an investigation will be done under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge.
    Urging people to vote for 'parivartan' in the second phase as well, he said it does not mean just changing an MLA, a political party in power or a chief minister, but making the state free of infiltration, corruption and appeasement, and ensuring fast development, obliterating red tape and creating employment opportunities.
    "A change in the state will also translate to making short-term and long-term policy for infrastructure development, and to make available resources for those to fructify," he said.
    The TMC had come to power in 2011, calling for 'parivartan' of the CPI(M)-led Left Front government that ruled the state for an uninterrupted 34 years from 1977.
    Shah said a BJP government will ensure there is no attack on any religious events, be it Ram Navami, Saraswati Puja or Durga Puja.
    "Forget the previous elections, the Election Commission has made very good arrangements this time to ensure no rigging takes place," he said, urging voters to fearlessly exercise their franchise in the second phase.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)