Mamata Banerjee, Amit Shah to tour West Bengal ahead of Lok Sabha polls

Political parties are pulling up their socks ahead of Lok Sabha polls with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will embark on a approximately six-day tour to North Bengal's Hanshimara, Siliguri, Coochbehar, Malda, Murshidabad and Nadia districts from January 28, the day Union Home Minister Amit Shah will reach Kolkata with an array of programmes, including organizational meeting and a public rally.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will come to kick off his Lok Sabha public rally in East Midnapore's Mecheda, hold organizational meetings to strategize for the coming Lok Sabha polls and also address a programme which will have presence of the intellectuals of the society.

Banerjee who will hold a number of administrative meetings, will complete the state government run various programmes, hold administrative meetings and public rallies in multiple districts. She will distribute land deeds to the various beneficiaries in North Bengal's Siliguri.


The Chief Minister has administrative and public programmes in Balurghat, Raiganj and also in Nadia's Santipur.

Amit Shah's visit to Bengal

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to reach Kolkata on January 28 night and will hold a public meeting on January 29 at Mecheda in East Midnapore, people in the know said. This will be Shah's third visit in the state in the last three months and first public rally before Lok Sabha polls, starting in Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari's stronghold. Adhikari hails from East Midnapore and had won Nandigram seat in 2021 assembly polls defeating West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Shah has set a target for Bengal BJP to win at least 35 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats from West Bengal. In 2019 Lok Sabha election BJP had won 18 seats. "After reaching Kolkata on Sunday night, Shah is likely to hold several rounds of organizational meetings with party's senior leaders on Lok Sabha poll preparations.

The next day he is scheduled to hold a public meeting at Mecheda and on Monday evening he is likely to meet the intellectuals at Science City auditorium in Kolkata," said the party sources told ET.

The Union Home Minister is likely to take stock of 'preparedness' for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. The saffron camp wants to increase the number of seats from West Bengal in 2024 Lok Sabha polls.