BJP will win big, Trinamool will be swept away: Locals of Nandigram ahead of West Bengal polls

Nandigram, March 31 (IANS) Ahead of the highly-anticipated West Bengal Assembly polls, locals from Nandigram on Tuesday said that this time the BJP will come to power with a huge majority, and the Trinamool Congress government, which has been accused of corruption, will be completely swept away.

IANS spoke to several residents of Nandigram to gauge public sentiment.

One local said, “The Bharatiya Janata Party will surge this time. The Trinamool Congress government, accused of corruption, will be completely swept away, and the BJP is coming to power with a clear majority. The BJP will form the government in the state with a huge mandate. The current government is copying schemes of the Central government, such as Ayushman Bharat. This will not work for long. This time, we hope that the BJP will win in the state.”

Another resident said, “Despite Mamata Banerjee being a woman herself, she has not done anything for women. This government has not delivered on development or children’s education — nothing significant has been achieved.”

The Election Commission has announced the schedule for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, which will be held in two phases. Voting for 152 seats will take place on April 23 in the first phase, while the remaining 142 seats will go to polls on April 29 in the second phase.

Apart from the BJP and the Trinamool Congress, Left parties and the Congress are also contesting the elections. Several smaller parties also hold influence in a few constituencies.

The BJP on Monday presented a united front as Suvendu Adhikari filed his nomination for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. Former BJP state president Dilip Ghosh accompanied the Leader of the Opposition as he filed his nomination for his candidature in Nandigram.

For these high-stakes polls, the BJP has fielded him from two seats — one in Nandigram, where he defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2021. He is also contesting from Bhawanipur, Banerjee’s home constituency, where she has won all three elections since coming to power after overthrowing the Left.

When West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee announced that she would contest the 2021 Assembly election from Nandigram, it was described variously as a masterstroke, a sign of desperation, and a calculated move.

Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee has been stating in almost every rally that the BJP is not allowing people to consume fish and meat in other states and may implement similar restrictions in West Bengal if voted to power.

--IANS

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