Kolkata: Assembly elections are being held in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, Assam and West Bengal. In West Bengal, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has been Chief Minister for more than 14 years.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has expressed confidence that the BJP will win this time and unseat Mamata Banerjee. The party is therefore focusing more on West Bengal than on Tamil Nadu, according to the report.
With the Kerala, Puducherry and Assam election phases set to conclude on April 9, Shah is expected to stay in West Bengal for about two weeks thereafter to oversee campaign work. The BJP is also finalising dates for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s and Shah’s rallies and roadshows, while several Union ministers have been deputed to campaign in the state.
The BJP has divided West Bengal into nine zones, each assigned to a Union minister. Senior leaders including Dharmendra Pradhan, Gajendra Singh, Nityanand Rai and Nishikant Rai, along with party leaders from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Tripura, are reported to be camping in the state.
On the campaign trail, Mamata Banerjee has been alleging that a BJP government would ban fish, mutton and eggs, while the BJP has countered by saying its next Chief Minister would be a non-vegetarian food lover. Separately, the Supreme Court has strongly criticised the Mamata government over an intensive voter list revision issue, and directed the Election Commission to inquire after court-appointed officials were allegedly detained by Trinamool workers, adding to the political pressure on the ruling party.
