‘I will win’: Mamata Banerjee holds massive Bhabanipur roadshow as campaigning ends for phase 2 voting

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday led a massive roadshow in south Kolkata’s Bhabanipur as the Trinamool Congress (TMC) wrapped up campaigning for the April 29 elections. Chief Minister and AITC chairperson Mamata Banerjee riding pillion on a bike during the padayatra (rally) from Jadavpur to Gopal Nagar on the last day of campaign ahead of 2nd phase of Assembly Election in Kolkata, India, on Monday. ( Samir Jana/HT Photo)Polling for 152 seats was held on April 23, while the remaining 142 seats, including Bhabanipur, will go to polls on April 29 — the second phase of the state assembly elections. Campaigning ended at 6 pm on Monday. Banerjee, seeking a fourth consecutive term, held three back-to-back roadshows covering nearly 9 km from Jadavpur to Bhabanipur. Accompanied by party leaders, she raced against time to complete the stretches, at one point riding pillion on a two-wheeler. Thousands lined the streets waving TMC flags and chanting “Joy Bangla” and “Jotoi Koro Hamla Abar Jitbe Bangla”, as Banerjee greeted supporters with folded hands. The rally passed through Jadavpur, Rashbehari and Ballygunge before culminating in Bhabanipur, where RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav joined her in the final leg. Also read: ‘Bengal campaign a spiritual journey’: PM Modi at last rally ahead of 2nd phase voting Raising concerns over the electoral roll, Banerjee earlier said: “There were 260,000 voters in Bhabanipur. Initially around 44,000 were deleted. Another around 2,000 names were dropped in the final roll, and 14,000 are under adjudication. Where are the voters? But I will win from Bhabanipur, even if there is one vote.” Bhabanipur is set for a high-stakes contest with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielding Suvendu Adhikari, who defeated Banerjee in Nandigram in 2021 after switching sides from the TMC. Also read: Time to free West Bengal from TMC, says Yogi Adityanath Adhikari also held a roadshow in Bhabanipur on Monday. Unlike Banerjee’s multi-constituency rally, Adhikari’s campaign remained focused within Bhabanipur, covering around 2 km. Supporters raised slogans of “Jai Shri Ram” as saffron flags lined the route. Confident of a victory, Adhikari said: “Mamata Banerjee is going to lose from Bhabanipur this time. I defeated her in 2021. I will defeat her again.” Union home minister Amit Shah, who campaigned earlier this month, underscored the seat’s significance. “There is one shortcut — win Bhabanipur and win Bengal. Bhabanipur’s ‘Parivartan’ will pave the way for change in the state,” he said. A traditional TMC bastion since 2011, Bhabanipur was represented by Banerjee in 2011 and 2016. She later won the 2021 bypoll from the seat by over 58,000 votes. However, the special intensive revision (SIR) has significantly reduced the electorate, adding a new dimension to the contest.