Lok Sabha Elections: Mamata Banerjee has brought forward her campaign schedule in north Bengal.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has lately been inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a US Presidential-style debate, in full view of television cameras, has decided to go for a near head-on collision.
Ms Banerjee has brought forward her campaign schedule for tomorrow so that she can respond to PM Modi as it will be on the same day that he launches his second blitzkrieg of Bengal.
PM Modi will hold a rally in north Bengal's Siliguri tomorrow around afternoon. He will then fly to Kolkata and hold a mega rally at Brigade Parade Ground late afternoon. The venue for the Prime Minister's Kolkata rally is the same where the Ms Banerjee's grand alliance or mahagathbandhan rally was held on Januray 19.
As per her earlier schedule, Ms Banerjee was supposed launch her election campaign from Cooch Behar in north Bengal on Thursday, April 4. But she has decided to head to the north tomorrow itself.
She will reach her destination at around 4:00 pm. By then, PM Modi is likely to have finished his speeches in Siliguri and Kolkata and then, Ms Banerjee is expected to respond to PM Modi's attacks.
Two key seats in north Bengal - Cooch Behar and Alipurduar - will vote in the first phase, on April 11.
The West Bengal Chief Minister has been raising the issue of wall-to-wall media coverage of PM Modi's campaign and has said every political party should be represented equally on television.
There has been no response from the BJP so far to Ms Banerjee's challenge to the Prime Minister for a debate.
When PM Modi came to Bengal in February as part of the BJP's first assault on the Trinamool citadel, there was no counter-rally by Ms Banerjee.