Tejashwi Yadav likely to campaign in West Bengal polls in coming weeks

This comes amid the TMC and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s call to opposition leaders to unite against the BJP.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav could be canvassing for Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidates at few pockets in West Bengal in the remaining rounds of the eight phased assembly polls ending April 29, party leaders claimed.

File photo: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav addresses a rally. (PTI)

This comes amid the TMC and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s call to opposition leaders to unite against the BJP. Banerjee had written to 15 top opposition leaders on Wednesday to have them unite against the BJP.

As per some top RJD leaders, the 31-year old Yadav scion, who has already extended his party’s support to the TMC in the West Bengal polls by not fielding any candidates to strengthen secular forces, has received requests from several TMC candidates and leaders to campaign in various constituencies in the next few weeks before the conclusion of the eight-phased polls.

“We have received requests from the TMC leaders and other candidates asking Tejashwi to visit Bengal to campaign but we have not drawn up a schedule so far. There are chances Tejashwi would campaign in few areas in the coming weeks. Right now, we are taking feedback from the state party unit on how the canvassing schedule could be prepared in a consolidated manner,” said Sanjay Yadav, a close aide of Tejashwi.

Sources said Tejashwi’s campaign programme could be scheduled before the fifth and the seventh phase of polls on April 17 and April 26 when constituencies like Burdaman, Asansol, Durgapur, having a sizeable Bihari population, will go to polls.

Party’s Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Manoj Jha expressed the same and said, “it is likely Tejashwi will be campaigning in Bengal”.

The RJD MP had described the TMC chief’s letter to 15 top opposition leaders as “very timely”.

“The letter by TMC chief Mamata Banerjee to opposition leaders to unite against the BJP is precisely very timely. The BJP is virtually berserk in destroying institutions and established democratic norms,” said Jha.

Bengal BJP leaders have attacked Tejashwi for his silence over Banerjee’s recent remarks where she had accused the BJP of bringing in anti-social elements from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to Nandigram to allegedly intimidate voters. Banerjee is locked in a keen contest with BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram where polling took place on Thursday.

“We condemn the statement by Banerjee about people from UP and Bihar. Why is Tejashwi not giving a clarification? The TMC chief’s statement is an attempt to stoke feelings of regionalism,” said Nikhil Anand, state BJP spokesperson.

However, RJD’s state spokesperson Chittraranjan Gagan averred that the BJP was in the habit of twisting facts and giving a different angle to the TMC chief’s statement for deriving political mileage.

Meanwhile, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM-S) chief and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, an ally of the NDA, is also scheduled to campaign in few areas of Kolkata from April 5. The participation of top NDA leaders in the West Bengal polls this time has been low with Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar unlikely to campaign, although the Janata Dal(United) is contesting 40 seats.