Ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during a rally
in Purulia, accusing the party of promoting division and curbing personal freedoms. Addressing the rally, Banerjee claimed that dietary choices like fish, meat, and eggs could come under threat if BJP came to power in the state. "Fish is not eaten in BJP-ruled states. If BJP comes, you won't be able to eat meat or eggs. BJP is one-sided, they don't believe in any religion... These people incite riots. They come to power by inciting riots, they come to power by killing people... The most attacks on tribals, attacks on women happen in BJP-ruled states... Our Bengali-speaking people are attacked in other states. We don't oppress anyone," she claimed.
Earlier, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra had raked up a new debate comparing the contribution of Bengalis and Gujaratis in the war for independence.
Addressing a press conference where TMC leaders released a chargesheet against the BJP, Mahua Moitra said, "Bengalis are a very proud race. We led the war for independence against the British. Who were the Gujaratis?... 68 per cent of the names of the people who were killed and incarcerated in Kala Pani were Bengalis, followed by Punjabis. Can you name me one Gujarati who was there, apart from your big hero, Veer Savarkar, who only wanted to sit and write apology letters? Please let us know."
West Bengal assembly elections
The West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026 will be held in two phases -- April 23 and 29, and the counting of votes is set for May 4, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The state has a total of 294 assembly seats.
This time, the polls have been kept in just two phases, unlike 2021 when the polling was held in eight phases.
Apart from West Bengal, the election body also announced voting schedules for Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Union Territory (UT) of Puducherry.
