Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 28 : As West Bengal prepares for a second and final phase of voting tomorrow, Leader of Opposition and BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday expressed confidence in a victory against CM Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur, asserting that he will win based on public support.
Speaking to ANI, Adhikari. who is contesting from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur said, "I am contesting on the basis of public support and the workers, not on the basis of the Election Commission or central forces...I am going to fight and defeat Mamata Banerjee tomorrow".
Banerjee and Adhikari are going to a high-stakes electoral battle in the constituency of Bhabanipur tommorow. CM Banerjee is the sitting MLA from the seat, but Adhikari's previous win against her in Nandigram in the 2021 assembly polls has raised the stakes this time around.
"Mamata's police lodged 35 FIRs against me after the second week of 2021, and I was thrown out of the Assembly multiple times," he claimed.
On the crucial question of the BJP's chief ministerial face if they secure a victory, Adhikari deferred to the top party leadership to make the decision.
He emphasised that Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the CM will hail from the state. "The party campaigned under the leadership of PM Modi, and Amit Shah himself said that the CM will be from the soil of the state," he said.
He said that his focus remains singular, "My only interest is to defeat Mamata Banerjee, and I am working for this mission"
Adhikari claimed a massive surge in voter turnout in the state, stating, "93% of Hindus voted in the first phase, unlike previous times, and they are ready tomorrow as well. We will get the votes of educated Muslims as well who want a change of government and do not have a problem with Vande Mataram."
He cited recent BJP victories in Muslim-majority wards in Gujarat as evidence of his statement.
The LoP said the matter of women's safety and unemployment are the primary catalysts for a "huge wave of change."
"This land is patriotic and some people want to weaken it... Women's safety and unemployment are major issues and a huge wave of change is prevailing...We are going to win at least over 170 seats."
This comes amid the exchange of jibes between both parties as polling for the second phase of West Bengal elections will take place on April 29, with counting of votes on May 4.
The polling for the first phase of elections witnessed a record voter turnout of 93.19 per cent.
The TMC is aiming to record a fourth consecutive victory, while the BJP looks to secure a mandate this time around after an improved tally of 77 seats in the 2021 polls.
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