PM Narendra Modi’s two rallies in West Bengal amid polling

Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News Service

Kolkata, April 4

On Tuesday, when third phase of polling will be under way in West Bengal for 31 seats, PM Narendra Modi will be campaigning in another part of the state for seats that will go to polls in the fourth phase on April 10. According to the campaign schedule published by the BJP, Modi will addresses two meetings in West Bengal on April 6. First, he will address an election rally at the Rash Mela Ground in Cooch Behar. From Cooch Behar, he will fly to Howrah and address an election rally at Dumurjola three hours later.

On April 1, when the second phase of polling was on in West Bengal for 30 seats, including Nandigram, Modi had addressed election rallies in Joynagar and Uluberia in the state. The Prime Minister’s presence in the neighbourhood had angered Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Mamata, facing a tough challenge from Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram, was not able to venture out of her constituency that day.

Mamata objected to Modi addressing election rallies in another part of the state on the day of polling and demanded that the EC should treat Modi’s programmes in West Bengal on April 1 as a violation of the model code.

On March 27, the inaugural day of polling for the eight-phased Assembly elections in West Bengal, Modi was touring Bangladesh.

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