Amit Shah chairs key BJP meet ahead of West Bengal poll manifesto release on March 21

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday chaired a high-level meeting over the BJP manifesto for West Bengal Assembly elections, sources told Republic TV. The meeting took place at the residence of BJP national president JP Nadda in Delhi. The saffron party's Bengal manifesto will be released by Shah during his visit to Kolkata on March 21.

Sources have said that the candidates for the remaining four phases of elections were also discussed during the meeting. The BJP, which is keen on ousting TMC Supremo Mamata Banerjee, has already released its list of 148 candidates for the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth phases of the elections. 

Earlier on Wednesday, a meeting of the BJP Central Election Committee (CEC) with the party's West Bengal unit was held at the BJP headquarters in the national capital. Prime Minister Modi, Union Ministers Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh, and JP Nadda were among the attendees of the CEC meeting.  BJP vice president Mukul Roy informed the Committee has finalised the list of almost all the candidates for seats going to polls in the last 4 phases of Bengal polls.

West Bengal polls

The West Bengal Assembly with 294 seats will also go to the polls from May 2, 2021. CM Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress holds 222 seats at present. However, BJP has made major inroads in the state in the Lok Sabha elections winning 18 seats out of 42 and establishing itself as the major opposition force in the state. 

The BJP is using its booth-level strategy and has regularly dispatched its top leaders including Amit Shah and JP Nadda in the state for winning the upcoming elections, with the Prime Minister also addressing mega-rallies there in recent weeks. The party has also been inducting a number of major TMC leaders on a regular basis and plans to hold at least 1500 rallies and assorted road-shows in total. 

(Image credits: PTI)