Bengal: Phase 7 campaigning over, Modi ends it with a virtual address

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday ended his campaign for the eight-phase Bengal assembly polls with a virtual address that spoke about the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) agenda and promises to the state, with no mention of either chief minister Mamata Banerjee or her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Modi was supposed to address four rallies in the state, including one in the heart of Kolkata, but cancelled them to address high-level meetings on Covid-19 in Delhi. Later, the Election Commission (EC) imposed a ban on roadshows and big rallies and limited the number of people attending political meetings to 500 in view of the sharp spike in coronavirus infections.

In all, Modi addressed more than two dozen rallies rallies in the state .

Bengal reported 12,876 infections asnd 59 deaths on Friday.

Urging people to cast votes in large numbers in the last two phases to be held on April 26 and 29, the PM, in his 32-minute long speech, said, “After four decades, people of Bengal are striving to establish a government of their choice.”

The PM focused on the BJP’s electoral promises made to the poor, youth, farmers, middle-class and women. In sharp contrast to the attacks he earlier made on TMC, Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, Modi made only a couple of general remarks in reference to governance and law and order situation in the state. “Infiltration, extortion et al are enemies of development…. We will give a government which will be free of corruption. Bengal yearns for peace, security and development,” he said.

Hours before addressing his virtual rally, Modi announced in a tweet that if the BJP comes to power, all people in Bengal would get free vaccine. He also announced after his meeting with the chief ministers that the Centre would provide free ration in May and June.

TMC leaders said Modi was following Banerjee’s policies as she was the first to make these announcements. “Banerjee announced last year that the Bengal government would continue to give free ration to people till June. She repeatedly wrote to Modi to let the state buy vaccines so that people can get these free from May,” said Bengal’s deputy parliamentary affairs minister, Tapas Roy.

Bengal BJP’s chief spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya confirmed that Modi will not address Bengal voters anymore. “This was his last speech. We are planning something for Union home minister Amit Shah. Otherwise, the campaign will be limited mostly to street-corner meetings,” said Bhattacharya.

“Modi seems to have given up,” quipped TMC Lok Sabha member, Saugata Roy .

Campaigning for 34 assembly seats that are scheduled to go to the polls on April 26 in the seventh phase of election ended on Friday, .

A total of 8,678,221 voters -- 4,444,634 men, 4,233,358 women and 229 transpersons -- will exercise their franchise in the 34 constituencies spread across Malda (Part I), Kolkata Dakshin, Murshidabad (Part I), Paschim Bardhaman (Part 1) and Dakshin Dinajpur districts.

Polling will be held between 7 am to 6.30 pm as in other phases at 12,068 polling stations in nine assembly constituencies each in Murshidabad and Paschim Bardhaman districts, six each in Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda districts four in Kolkata Dakshin.