Amit Shah's rally expected to set tone for BJP's LS campaign in Bengal

KOLKATA: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to address a mega rally here on Wednesday and is likely to lay the groundwork for the BJP's upcoming campaign in West Bengal for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Shah will embark on a whirlwind tour of West Bengal this afternoon with BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar confirming that the union home minister will be "leaving the state this evening after the rally".

"Amit Shah ji is likely to set the tone for next year's Lok Sabha polls in Bengal," Majumdar had said on Tuesday, echoing sentiments expressed during a rally in April when Shah set a target of winning more than 35 seats from the state.

In the 2019 parliamentary elections, the BJP secured 18, out of the 42 constituencies, in West Bengal.

However, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) downplayed the significance of Shah's rally, asserting that it would "not yield positive results" for the saffron party.

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, "The BJP launched a mega campaign during the 2021 assembly polls, but it did not yield any results. This time too, it won't have any impact".

The TMC has put up posters throughout the city, mocking Shah's visit. Additionally, the party's youth cell plans to dispatch 51,000 letters, demanding jobs and protesting against the alleged withholding of funds by the Centre for the state.

These letters are set to be sent to Shah's residential address in New Delhi.