Kolkata: Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday asked party workers to remain vigilant in the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency, expressing concerns over the conduct of the poll process and urging them to stay alert even after voting concludes.
CM Banerjee made the remarks while addressing a meeting with party leaders and workers at Chetla in south Kolkata ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. Special focus was laid on Bhabanipur, from where she is contesting, in what the party sees as a key electoral battle.
According to a Trinamool Congress leader present at the meeting, Banerjee cautioned workers about possible irregularities and asked them to remain watchful throughout the polling and counting process.
The Chief Minister was quoted as saying that several officials had been removed following the announcement of the poll schedule, which, she suggested, has limited the state administration’s role during the election period.
She also asked party workers to remain present and vigilant after polling hours, stressing the need to monitor strong rooms where Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are kept. She referred to concerns such as possible disruptions, including power outages, and urged workers not to leave immediately after voting ends.
CM Banerjee also spoke about the broader political roadmap of the party, saying that after the Assembly elections in West Bengal, the focus would shift to national politics. She added that the party would extend legal support to voters facing issues such as deletion of names from electoral rolls.
At the same meeting, Trinamool Congress national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee called on party workers to aim for a higher victory margin in Bhabanipur and avoid complacency.
Referring to past electoral performance in the constituency, he said the party should look to improve its booth-level results and increase its vote margin. He urged workers to strengthen outreach efforts and ensure higher voter support across all areas.
For the upcoming election, the BJP has fielded Suvendu Adhikari against Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur. The two leaders had earlier faced each other in Nandigram in the 2021 Assembly elections, where Adhikari won by a narrow margin. Banerjee later contested the Bhabanipur by-election the same year and secured a decisive victory.
Senior party leaders, including Firhad Hakim and Subrata Bakshi, were also present at Sunday’s meeting.
(IANS)
