Campaign Ends For First Phase Of Poll In West Bengal

Curtains came down at 5 pm Thursday on the high decibel campaign in 30 assembly seats in West Bengal where polls are scheduled in the first phase on March 27.

The 30 seats are spread across tribal-dominated Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram, Purba Medinipur (Part 1) and Paschim Medinipur (Part 1) districts which were once considered the citadel of the Left in the state.

The campaign for the seats saw high profile leaders of BJP, which has emerged as the main opposition to the ruling Trinamool Congress, addressing poll rallies in Purulia, Jhargram and Bankura districts promising ''ashol poriborton'' (actual change) to build ''Sonar Bangla'' (prosperous Bengal).

The star BJP campaigners for the seats going to poll in the first phase were Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

The other star campaigners of the party were Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, party president Jagat Prakash Nadda, top leader Smriti Irani who repeatedly harped on the various scams.

They attacked Mamata Banerjee's party for the multi-crore rupees Saradha scam, the Narada tapes scandal to the more recent alleged siphoning of money meant for Amphan relief and the TMC government's dealing with COVID-19 pandemic.

The party leaders virulently attacked the Mamata Banerjee government for not allowing the implementation of central schemes like the Ayushman Bharat, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and 80 others aimed at helping the poor, dalits, tribals and people from the marginalised sections.

The BJP leaders claimed that corruption and anarchy are prevalent in TMC-ruled West Bengal and that the party will put an end to the menace after coming to power in the state.

The party leaders, including PM Modi, targeted TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee alleging that he was involved in cross-border cattle smuggling and the coal scam.

In almost all of their rallies, the BJP also accused the TMC-government for its "cut money" culture and ''syndicate raj'' in the state.

Bollywood megastar Mithun Chakraborty who joined BJP campaigned for BJP candidates at Jangalmahal and Bankura. His road shows became a huge hit as people from all walks of life gathered to hear him, throwing all caution for COVID-19 to the winds.

On the other hand, West Bengal Chief Minister held poll rallies in each of the 30 constituencies, her injured leg notwithstanding.

The TMC supremo in her campign described the Modi government as "anti-people" and the prime minister a "liar".

She also blamed him for not allowing the state government to give free coronavirus jabs to the people.

She alleged that ''harmads'' (goons) of CPI-M who had joined BJP had scripted the attack on her at Nandigram, from where she is contesting this time, to stop her from campaigning.

Ms Banerjee, who is among the strident critics of the prime minister, had said that the Centre is selling off government concerns and that only Modi''s "factory of lies will remain". She urged people not to vote for "goons from outside" (the state) and often threw the challenge at BJP by uttering her party''s popular "khela hobe" (game will take place) slogan.

She charged BJP with bringing in outsiders to the state for the assembly election in Bengal and attacked the Modi government for the hike in the prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas.

TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, another star campaigner for the party, urged the people to vote for "Banglar nijer meye" (Bengal''s own daughter) Mamata Banerjee to live in peace in the state.

The 30 constituencies had overwhelmingly voted for TMC in the last two state elections but BJP had swept them in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.