Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday described the record voter turnout in the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections as a “wave of change.” He urged voters to hoist the BJP’s victory flag in the second phase. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that the party would win at least 110 of the 152 constituencies that went to the polls on Thursday.
Modi, who addressed two campaign rallies for BJP candidates after taking a boat ride on the Hooghly River in the morning, also announced that the BJP would approve the rollout of the Centre’s Aayushman Bharat scheme in its first Cabinet meeting if it forms the government in the state. His remarks on Jadavpur University drew an immediate response from Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
“The first phase of voting has confirmed the wave of change that has been visible in Bengal for a long time. The support shown to the BJP has sounded the conch shell of its victory. The Trinamool Congress crushed the temple of democracy with its dictatorship here. Now, people have begun rebuilding it,” Modi said at a rally in Panihati, North 24 Parganas.
He urged voters to “unfurl the victory flag over this temple” in the second phase of the polls, scheduled for April 29. Modi also claimed that the TMC had become “extremely rattled” after witnessing the high turnout and had activated its “goons” to intimidate people on Thursday night.
The Prime Minister criticized the TMC government over violence against women, referring to the rape and murder of a young doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. He noted that the BJP had fielded the victim’s mother as a candidate in Panihati. Later, while campaigning in Jadavpur, he alleged that anti-national sentiments were prevailing at Jadavpur University.
“Jadavpur University was once respected across the world and founded on the principles of nationalism. But today, threats are issued on campus, anti-national slogans are written on walls, and students are forced into protests instead of focusing on their studies,” he said.
“We want an academic atmosphere, not chaos; dialogue, not threats. A government that cannot protect its premier educational institution cannot safeguard Bengal’s future or its youth,” he added.
Earlier, at a press conference, Amit Shah predicted a surge in BJP seats, stating, “The BJP will win more than 110 out of 152 seats in the first phase.” His claim followed the ruling TMC’s assertion that it would secure 125 seats shortly after polling concluded.
Shah also cited data on election-related violence, comparing the current polls with previous ones. “In 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections, 1,278 and 1,681 people were injured, respectively. I thank the Election Commission and security forces for ensuring a peaceful first phase this time, with no reported deaths,” he said.
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