New Delhi, April 23 The high-stakes electoral contest for the West Bengal Assembly, marked by a fierce rivalry between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the main opposition BJP, is also witnessing a sharp war of words as both sides seek to outmanoeuvre each other.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on a whirlwind campaign trail on Thursday, drew a “setting sun” analogy for the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government to highlight its alleged failings on multiple fronts, primarily citing inefficiency and ineptitude.
Taking to X, the Union Home Minister shared a video clip of a setting sun and wrote: “The sun of the TMC’s corruption and hooliganism has set.”
HM Shah’s swipe at the Trinamool Congress dispensation came hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s jibe at a public rally earlier in the day, where he quipped that a “jhalmuri break” (during his previous poll campaign) had given a thunderous shock to some people in the state -- a remark seen as aimed at the ruling party.
In the run-up to the two-phase elections, the Bengal battleground has witnessed an intense exchange of words, with both parties frequently trading barbs.
On Wednesday, HM Shah's “Kolkata turned into a slum” remark drew sharp reactions from Trinamool Congress members, who in turn labelled BJP leaders as “outsiders”, further fuelling the political rhetoric.
Meanwhile, West Bengal witnessed brisk polling in the first phase, prompting poll watchers and analysts to assess the possible outcome of the high voter turnout.
Till 5 p.m., the state recorded 89.93 per cent polling, and by the time final figures are compiled, the turnout is expected to cross the 90 per cent mark -- potentially a record in the state’s electoral history. The 2021 Assembly elections had recorded around 82 per cent polling, which was considered high voter participation at the time.
The state, under Trinamool Congress rule for the past 15 years, is voting in two phases this time.
In the first phase that concluded on Thursday, 152 Assembly constituencies across 16 districts went to polls. The second phase, covering 142 Assembly constituencies, will be held on April 29.
The 16 districts where polling was held in the first phase include Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, and Malda in north Bengal, and Murshidabad, East Midnapore, West Midnapore, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, West Burdwan, and Birbhum in the southern region of the state.
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