Kolkata: Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday asserted that his party will return to power in West Bengal by winning 225-odd seats in the 294-member assembly, while the BJP will not be able to bag 50 constituencies.
Addressing an election rally in Bally, Banerjee, who is considered number 2 in the TMC hierarchy, also vowed to uproot the BJP from the Centre within two to three years.
He also claimed that the Bengali voters’ response to the “harassment” caused by the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls will be known after May 4, when election results will be announced.
The first phase of voting was held on April 23, and the second leg is slated for April 29.
“We have crossed the century mark in the first phase, and we will score a double century in the second. We will not fall below 225 seats,” the TMC MP said.
The Mamata Banerjee-led party won 213 seats in the elections five years ago.
“We are forming the government for the fourth term here, and we will uproot the BJP from Delhi in the next two to three years,” he added.
Later, addressing a gathering after a roadshow from Kakurgachi to Bidhannagar station in Kolkata, Banerjee claimed that BJP will not cross the 50-seat mark.
The saffron party had won 77 seats in the 2021 election.
Targeting Prime Minister’s visit to the Ramakrishna Math and Mission headquarters at Belur on the day of the first phase of voting, Banerjee said at Bally that Narendra Modi should return for prayers after May 4.
Visiting the Belur Math, founded by Swami Vivekananda, or having Bengal’s popular street food ‘jhalmuri’ during the election season is not enough.
“Don’t just remember Swamiji during elections. After May 4, come back to pray. And why only jhalmuri? Kolkata’s fuchka, ghugni, sweets and rosogolla are also good,” he said, drawing laughter from the crowd.
Taking a dig at the Prime Minister’s recent visit to a roadside shop in Jhargram to have ‘jhalmuri’ during campaigning, Banerjee said the road on which Modi walked and the footpath, standing on which he enjoyed the snack, were built by the Mamata Banerjee government, and the vendor was from Gaya in Bihar.
“If the BJP’s double-engine government has generated so much employment, why is a boy from Bihar selling jhalmuri in Jhargram? Where has employment in Bihar gone?” he asked.
Banerjee claimed that the TMC government had created 1.12 crore jobs in the MSME sector over the past decade, and challenged the BJP to dispute the figure.
The TMC MP also questioned the BJP’s claims regarding economic upliftment in states with double-engine governments.
Asserting the primacy of the people is above the state’s power, Banerjee claimed that the Modi government’s “arrogance” will be shattered as the people have made up their minds to make TMC the winner in the assembly elections.
Despite the deployment of a huge number of central forces, the ED, the Election Commission, and the backing of a number of BJP chief ministers, all surveys pointed to TMC coming to power in Bengal for the fourth straight term, he claimed.
In another rally earlier in the day at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district, the TMC leader accused the Indian Secular Front (ISF) of being the “B-team of BJP”.
Banerjee asserted that people in Bhangar, which has a significant Muslim population, will vote on the TMC government’s development initiatives and not on religion.
The TMC MP alleged that ISF leader Naushad Siddiqui is under the protection of the central force provided by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and demanded to know the “deal” behind it.
“The election in Bhangar will not be fought on dharma but on karma — on food, clothing, shelter, education, health and employment,” he said, urging voters not to be swayed by what he called divisive politics.
Banerjee also questioned the ISF-Left Front alliance, pointing out that despite forming a front, the ISF fielded a candidate in Nandigram, where the CPI also has a candidate.
“It means only one thing: split the minority vote and help BJP win,” he alleged.
Leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari is the BJP candidate in Nandigram.
Addressing another rally at Basirhat bordering Bangladesh, Banerjee said the saffron camp was attempting to marginalise Bengalis culturally, and that the upcoming assembly election was not merely a political contest but a “vote for revenge.”
He accused the BJP of targeting Bengalis by labelling them “Bangladeshis” for speaking their mother tongue, saying Bengali identity and culture were under threat.
He attacked the BJP-led central government over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, alleging that the exercise was designed to disenfranchise genuine Bengali voters by keeping them in long queues and striking names off the list.
