As the West Bengal election campaign ended on Monday — with the state set to vote in a second and final phase on Wednesday, April 29 — Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah made last-ditch efforts to secure votes.
PM Modi made a spiritual pitch in an open letter to voters of West Bengal. Shah issued a warning involving the central forces to incumbent chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
In his open letter published on social media just minutes before the campaign deadline, Modi invoked the Hindu goddess Kali, who he said filled him with “new energy”. He also equated the Bengal election campaign with a pilgrimage.
“During this election, I have experienced a unique energy in Bengal. Despite the intense heat and after so many rallies, I did not feel even a bit of fatigue in this Bengal election. These rallies and roadshows were like a pilgrimage for me. When I went among the devotees of Maa Kali, perhaps Maa Kali herself was continuously filling me with new energy,” PM Modi said in the letter.
The Prime Minister said that everyone in Bengal was impatient for development and positioned the BJP as the natural choice.
{{/usCountry}}The Prime Minister said that everyone in Bengal was impatient for development and positioned the BJP as the natural choice.
{{/usCountry}}“I also saw how impatient everyone — be it the youth, women, farmers, or labourers of Bengal — is for a developed Bengal. The youth of Bengal now want an open field to move forward. Daughters want an open sky and safety. Every citizen and every family in Bengal are moving forward with a single resolve — now is the time for change. Enough of fear, now we need trust, now we need the BJP,” he further wrote.
After the polling is held on Wednesday, the results will be announced on May 4.
Amit Shah’s urge
Union home minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah, meanwhile, on Monday issued a warning to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress, saying that central forces deployed in the state for assembly elections would remain there for at least 60 more days after the polls, even if the BJP comes to power.
Addressing a gathering in Behala after leading a roadshow on the last day of campaigning for phase 2, Shah urged voters to cast their votes and not worry about “the goons”.
"Don't worry about Didi's goons; the Election Commission has deployed CAPF at every nook and cranny. Today, I'm saying it as I go—after the elections, a BJP government is coming. Even so, CAPF will stay right here for the next 60 days," he said.
Standing atop an open-hood vehicle, Shah waved at supporters and showered flower petals on crowds lining both sides of the road
The roadshow was held in support of the BJP candidates for Behala Purba and Behala Paschim.