Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address back-to-back four election rallies in Howrah, Hooghly, Arambagh and Barrackpore and roadshows on Sunday.

Seven parliamentary constituencies Howrah, Uluberia, Hooghly, Arambag, Serampore, Barrackpore and Bongaon will go for polls on 20 May.

Advertisement

The Prime Minister is scheduled to stay tonight at Raj Bhavan. Kolkata police have beefed up security arrangements and restricted traffic movement on several roads connecting the governor’s house.

This will be his ninth visit to West Bengal since the announcement of dates for seven-phase Lok Sabha polls in the country was made on 16 March. He will attend rallies in Panchla, Chinsurah and Pursurah under Howrah, Arambagh and Hooghly constituencies respectively and Barrackpore on Sunday.

BJP had won Hooghly, Barrackpore and Bongaon seats while Trinamul Congress had bagged Howrah, Uluberia, Serampore and Arambagh in 2019 LS polls.

Meanwhile, the saffron party had alleged that the ground, where the PM would address a public meeting in Barrackpore had been dug up by a tractor.

Arjun Singh, contesting in Barrackpore on a BJP ticket, had alleged that Bhatpara Municipality intentionally dug it up so that the rally could not be held.

On the other hand, Howrah is all set to witness high-voltage election programmes on Sunday. Besides the PM’s election rally, the Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee is also scheduled to address an election rally in Howrah’s Uluberia on Sunday (12 May) at around 4pm. PM Modi is also expected to take part in the election rally in Panchla close to Uluberia at the same time.

Political observers feel that a war of words is on the cards. In the run-up to the country’s general elections, PM Modi has been accused by Mamata Banerjee of halting the state’s funds under various projects including 100-day works under MGNREGA scheme.

The Trinamul Congress has already alleged that the BJP-led Centre has withheld funds worth Rs 1.6 lakh crore under various heads for Bengal.

PM Modi, on the other hand, slammed Mamata Banerjee government on corruption issues in the state. Earlier, in the first week of May, while addressing in back-to-back election rallies in Bardhaman-Durgapur and Krishnagar, PM Modi alleged that the ruling party in West Bengal is indulged in corruption and politics of appeasement.

On 26 April, while addressing an election rally in Malda, he targeted Trinamul Congress and said that the youth of West Bengal are praying for a price for ‘cut-and-commission’ culture.

PM said, “Those who took loans and gave them to the Trinamul Congress (to get jobs) are on the roads now.”