Top leaders sweat it out as campaign ends for 1st phase

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 25

Curtains came down on the campaigning for the first phase of the West Bengal elections on Thursday with 30 of the state’s total 294 seats slated to go to the polls on March 27.

In neighbouring Assam, where elections for the 126 Assembly seats are being held in three phases, the campaigning for 47 constituencies going to polls in the first phase on March 27 ended today.

While PM Narendra Modi addressed a number of rallies in Bengal to bolster the BJP, WB Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee has also been touring the state canvassing for TMC candidates.

Modi has been mainly targeting Mamata on the issue of corruption, while the latter is playing up her local roots and trying to corner the BJP by calling it a “party of outsiders”.

EC issues notice to BJP candidate

• Kolkata: BJP’s Pandabeswar candidate Jitendra Tiwari was show-caused by the Election Commission for promising voters a free trip to the temple of Lord Rama in Ayodhya if elected, officials said on Thursday.
• Tiwari made the promise on two occasions — once while speaking at a public meeting in Haripur on March 21, and then at a party meeting, they said.
• The Trinamool Congress lodged a complaint with the EC on March 22 over the issue. In his reply to the EC notice, Tiwari said he was unaware that making such a promise would violate the model code of conduct. PTI

The CPM-led Left Front has joined hand with the Congress and Indian Secular Front. However, in terms of impact on the election scene, Sanjukta Morcha is trailing behind the two main players — TMC and BJP.

A total of 191 candidates from various parties are contesting for the 30 constituencies going to the polls in the first phase in West Bengal.

Leaving no stone unturned to secure its maiden victory in the state, the BJP on Thursday unleashed a battery of leaders in West Bengal for campaigning, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Actor Mithun Chakraborty held roadshows in four constituencies — Jhargram, Saltora, Chhatna and Raipur.

In Assam, polling is being held under the shadow of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The BJP, which has partnered with the AGP in Assam, is fighting to retain power in the northeastern state. Even though the BJP manifesto for Assam is silent on the CAA, the All Assam Students Union has accused the BJP of planning to implement CAA in Assam and has appealed to voters to shun BJP. The Congress has forged an alliance with parties like AIUDF, CPI, CPM, CPI (ML), Anchalik Gana Morcha and Bodoland People’s Front and mounted a challenge to BJP in Assam.

Didi took WB back to 19th century: Rajnath

Joypur (WB): Accusing CM Mamata Banerjee of “taking back Bengal to the 19th century, with no development work undertaken in the past 10 years”, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the TMC dispensation, just like its predecessor, the Left Front, has wronged the people of the state. In Purulia, he took a dig at the TMC’s “khela hobe”

slogan. PTI

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