Mamata to campaign for rural polls: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday (June 25) reached Cooch Behar from where she will kickstart her campaign tomorrow for the ensuing panchayat elections in the state.
Beginning her campaign trail from Cooch Behar, she will address a public meeting here on Monday (June 26), the party leaders said.
The rural body elections in West Bengal are slated to be held on July 8.
War of words between TMC and BJP
The opposition BJP alleged that the TMC supremo was forced to canvass for party candidates in the rural polls due to the fear of the outcomes of the elections.
BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh questioned her call to campaign for the panchayat elections, and said that it is below her political stature to campaign for the rural polls.
"When her party leaders claim that she is a potential prime ministerial candidate, it is expected that she campaigns for the Lok Sabha and the assembly elections; it seems she is worried about the outcome of the polls," Ghosh said.
Retorting to Ghosh’s jibe, TMC MP Shatabdi Roy said that Mamata is a chief minister who took the administration to the people’s doorsteps.
"It is they (BJP) who are worried that Mamata Banerjee is campaigning," she said.
Campaign on Sunday
The TMC had not performed well in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in North Bengal. The results of the 2021 assembly elections were also mixed in the region. The political parties attempted to make the most of the first Sunday after the nomination process and TMC and opposition BJP, CPI(M) and Congress held intense campaigns today.
Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, TMC MP Shatabdi Roy, and DYFI leader Minakshi Mukherjee were among the leaders who participated in rallies and meetings for candidates of their parties in different districts of the state.
Columns of central forces held route marches at various sensitive places, including the violence-hit Bhangore in South 24 Parganas district.
(With PTI inputs)
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