Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Mamata Banerjee will be campaigning against each other for their respective candidates in a high-voltage election season, in Purulia on Sunday.
The CM and the PM will be addressing meetings within a distance of barely nine kilometres in Purulia on the same day.
At around 10am, PM Narendra Modi will address a rally for BJP Purulia Lok Sabha candidate Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato at Gongara Maidan.
Within three hours after the election campaign of PM Narendra Modi, CM Mamata Banerjee will hold a roadshow for TMC candidate Shantiram Mahato at Purulia town.
Her three kilometre roadshow will kick off from Police Super’s office and end at Bhagat Singh More on Indoor Stadium, TMC sources said.
The BJP has performed well in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and 2021 Assembly polls in Purulia district. Once again the saffron brigade is trying to replicate its performances in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Both the TMC and the Left Front are trying to wrest this seat, which was once a bastion of the forward block. The Left Front vote bank switched over to the lotus brigade both in the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 Assembly polls in Purulia district.
The district BJP has claimed that over 1.5 lakh people will be present to attend the PM Narendra Modi’s public meeting on Sunday in Purulia. They have even stressed that no people will come from neighbouring districts or the neighbouring state of Jharkhand.
Bibek Ranga, BJP district president has alleged that TMC has already booked all buses for the CM’s road show in Purulia and is trying to create hindrances for the saffron party on that day for PM’s meeting.
TMC district president, Soumen Beltharia has refuted all his allegations and said that all political parties can campaign for the polls. The party has taken permission from the Election Commission to hold CM’s roadshow.
“In this Lok Sabha polls, the PM is failing to attract people and on the same day our CM will be holding a roadshow and we expect a huge crowd. Fearing less crowd turnout, the BJP leadership is giving cock and bull stories,” said Soumen Beltharia.
The Purulia district police are already taking measures for the two high security election campaigns.