West Bengal’s election campaign intensified sharply on Saturday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee leading a high-decibel political contest marked by competing claims on governance, welfare, electoral integrity and voter outreach.
Polling in the state is scheduled in two phases on April 23 and 29 across 294 Assembly constituencies, with thousands of candidates in the fray and heightened scrutiny over electoral rolls, voter turnout and administrative preparedness.
Modi targets ‘syndicate raj’, courts women and tribal voters
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed multiple rallies across the state, sharpening the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) attack on the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) over law and order, women’s safety and alleged corruption.
At Kushmandi in South Dinajpur and later in Jangipur, Modi accused the TMC government of fostering a “syndicate raj” that, he claimed, had permeated sectors ranging from construction to sports. Referring to chaos during a football-related event at Salt Lake Stadium, he said such incidents reflected “lawlessness” under the current regime.
PM Modi placed strong emphasis on women voters, promising improved safety and empowerment, and contrasted Bengal’s record with other states. He also highlighted the BJP’s “Sankalp Patra”, calling it a “Bharosa Patra” outlining development commitments, including institutions such as AIIMS and NIFT in North
Bengal.
The Prime Minister reiterated outreach to marginalised groups, invoking tribal icon Birsa Munda and flagging initiatives such as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Divas’. He also warned voters against “deepfake” videos generated using artificial intelligence, cautioning that misinformation could be used to influence the electoral process.
Also read: BJP will freeze rations, bank accounts: Mamata
Shah warns on poll rigging, corruption, law and order
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, addressing rallies in Onda (Bankura) and Debra, issued a stern warning against any attempt to disrupt polling.
“Trinamool’s goons should stay indoors on the 23rd and 29th,” he said, asserting that strict action would be taken against those trying to interfere with voting.
Shah alleged that more than 300 BJP workers had been killed in political violence and accused the TMC government of failing to maintain law and order. He also raised concerns over women’s safety, citing incidents such as the RG Kar Medical College case.
On governance, Shah accused the state government of corruption in sectors including education, coal and cattle trade, and housing schemes. He claimed that central welfare benefits were not reaching beneficiaries and promised that a BJP government would set up mechanisms to investigate corruption and ensure accountability.
He also targeted delays in the Ghatal Master Plan, a major flood-control project affecting parts of West and East Medinipur, asserting that funds had been provided by the Centre and that the project would be completed within a year if the BJP came to power.
Mamata flags SIR, federalism, welfare concerns
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee mounted a counterattack, focusing on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged disenfranchisement of voters.
Addressing rallies in Keshiyari and Jhargram, she claimed that instances in Bihar showed how removal of names from voter lists could lead to denial of welfare benefits. “As long as I am here, I will not allow such things to happen,” she said.
Banerjee accused the BJP-led Centre of pursuing “politics of vendetta” and undermining federal principles. She also alleged attempts to interfere in personal freedoms, including food choices, and warned voters against what she described as misinformation campaigns.
The Chief Minister reiterated that the state had ensured significant representation for women, citing 50 per cent participation in panchayats, and accused the BJP of attempting to influence polling through administrative pressure and narrative-building.
According to reports and election authorities, the state's electorate shrank from about 7.66 crore (pre-SIR) to roughly 6.75-6.77 crore after the revision, a reduction of around 11.6–11.9%, with opposition parties alleging large-scale deletions, particularly in border and minority-dominated districts such as North 24 Parganas, Murshidabad and Malda.
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