Asansol, West Bengal: The BJP - which has two Parliamentarians in West Bengal and one legislator. It has never ruled the state. The party hopes that this Assembly polls will be a watershed and that the change will begin in Asansol.
The party is eyeing the 7 seats under Asansol Lok Sabha constituency - it won the seat in 2014 general elections -- to help it reach double digits at least in the state.
Parliamentarian from Asansol and Union Minister Babul Supriyo is leading the campaign on the ground. The party is also banking on the aggressive stance of the Prime Minister, who held a rally today in Asansol.
Mr Supriyo, who is also a popular singer, is hoping for a repeat of 2014 performance in Asansol.
"I am telling just one thing. And the pun is intended. The lotus blossoms in what we call 'paak" (filth) in Bangla. The CPM and the Trinamool have created filth and the lotus will blossom here this time," Mr Supriyo told NDTV.
But the Trinamool is fighting tooth and nail to ensure BJP draws a blank in Asansol. And party chief and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is leading the charge. In an area with a considerable Hindi-speaking population, Ms Banerjee promised to take everyone along if her party wins.
Attacking the BJP, she said, "Tell the BJP to handle Delhi first and then look at Bengal. They can't handle Delhi and they want Bengal. Before the Lok Sabha elections they made tall promises and won. What happened? They did nothing."
The BJP's hopes rest on its 2014 performance in Bengal, when, riding the Modi wave, it won 17 per cent votes in the state. Since then, however, its fortunes appear to have dipped, especially in last year's civic election.
The party is eyeing the 7 seats under Asansol Lok Sabha constituency - it won the seat in 2014 general elections -- to help it reach double digits at least in the state.
Parliamentarian from Asansol and Union Minister Babul Supriyo is leading the campaign on the ground. The party is also banking on the aggressive stance of the Prime Minister, who held a rally today in Asansol.
"I am telling just one thing. And the pun is intended. The lotus blossoms in what we call 'paak" (filth) in Bangla. The CPM and the Trinamool have created filth and the lotus will blossom here this time," Mr Supriyo told NDTV.
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Attacking the BJP, she said, "Tell the BJP to handle Delhi first and then look at Bengal. They can't handle Delhi and they want Bengal. Before the Lok Sabha elections they made tall promises and won. What happened? They did nothing."
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