TMC to Launch Bengal Panchayat Poll Campaign Today, Sees Wooing Local Train Travellers as Ticket to Success

In the thick of allegations of violence in the run-up to the July 8 West Bengal panchayat polls and the related court battles, leaders from the ruling Trinamool Congress say they are now concentrating on the electioneering.

A list of 58 leaders has been prepared who will start campaigning from Thursday. This time, the TMC plans to begin its canvassing from local trains.

Leaders will start boarding local trains in the morning and will talk to the passengers, discussing issues close to their hearts.

A senior TMC leader told News18, “There are various things that we want to tell the people. A large number of passengers from the villages travel by these trains. So the state government’s development work and the Centre’s neglect of the ‘100-day work’ scheme are key issues for them.”

The campaigning for the polls will take place in two phases, with the first between June 22 and 28.

TMC leaders say this will be an extension of the party’s ongoing Nabo Jowar (new tide) drive, where leaders will have Jana Sanjog (public outreach) at street corners, meeting people, listening to their issues, and apprising them of the development work undertaken by the Mamata Banerjee government for their areas.

The districts to be covered on Thursday are Murshidabad, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Alipurduar, Jhargram, Nadia, Malda, Birbhum, Hooghly, Howrah, Jalpaiguri, Purulia, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur, Bankura, and Purba Bardhaman.

Party insiders said that minister Shashi Panja, state general secretary Kunal Ghosh and others will participate in this campaign and their focus will be small tea shops, local clubs and hangouts, as well as trains.

TMC sources also said that national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has already done the Nabo Jowar Yatra for almost two months and now 58 leaders have been picked for this public outreach exercise.

However, BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya said, “This train stunt will not work. Ask them why there is so much violence.”

Trinamool sources say that this violence narrative has been set up by the opposition and it will be addressed by the party during campaigning.