Trinamul Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee urged people to use their intelligence and not be driven by impulses while exercising their franchise in Purulia.

He chaired a meeting of the party workers and leaders in Purulia this afternoon. Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato is the sitting BJP MP and he is contesting against TMC’s Shantiram Mahato, former state minister.

“People should see what changes have been brought about in the district and how much development has taken place in the past few years and not believe in what they hear from the BJP,” he said.

Mr Banerjee said Trinamul Congress did not do well in 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 Assembly election in Purulia. “In Purulia, in 2021 we lost the Assembly seats in Raghunathpur, Para, Balarampur, Joypur and Purulia but that did not stop the government from giving Lakshmir Bhandar and other schemes to the people. Not a single woman will be able to say that because they had voted in favour of BJP, we did not give them the benefits.”

Coming down heavily on Sitting MP Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato, he said “He is responsible for depriving the poor people of their houses as the money for Awas plus schemes has been stopped by the BJP-led Centre. For him the job card holders did not pay their dues and but the affected got their money due to the initiative by Mamata Banerjee. He has deprived the state and now he has come to ask the people to cast their vote in his favour,” Abhishek maintained.

He said in the past few years, remarkable development has taken place in Purulia. “The infrastructure has improved; there is not a single family which does not get the benefits offered by the state government,” said the TMC national general secretary.

He urged the party workers to bury their hatchets and work together to ensure victory for the party’s nominee. “Remember, if BJP comes to power, people will lose their right to vote as there will be one nation, one election. Now, a person living in the panchayat gives three votes to elect their candidate. There he or she can select the candidates in the Assembly and Lok Sabha. But all this will stop and people’s right to elect their representative will stop forever,” he said.

Abhishek urged people to come out of their houses and cast vote, braving the scorching heat on 25 May and elect a candidate that will work for the development of Purulia.