Modi, Mamata's rallies at Bengal's Cooch Behar seat today
What's the story
In a first for this election season, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are set to speak at consecutive Lok Sabha campaign rallies on Thursday in Cooch Behar, North Bengal.
While Modi will address a rally in the district, Banerjee is expected to address two, their respective parties announced on Wednesday night.
The seats of Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, and Jalpaiguri in North Bengal will go to the polls in the first phase—on April 19.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The Bharatiya Janata Party has made maximum electoral gains in North Bengal since 2019.
In that year, the BJP secured victories in all three seats previously held by the ruling TMC.
Notably, two of the winners—Cooch Behar's Nisith Pramanik and Alipurduar's John Barla—serve as Union ministers of state.
Without the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance in West Bengal, the electoral battle primarily pits the BJP against the TMC—which has been in power for over 13 years in the state.
Election rallies
Rally details and constituency conflicts
Modi is scheduled to address a rally at Rasleela ground in Cooch Behar at around 3 pm, while Banerjee will hold a rally at around noon.
The venues are approximately 30 km apart.
Last month, the constituency saw a conflict between supporters of sitting BJP MP Pramanik and TMC leader Udayan Guha.
Pramanik's main opponent in this election is Jagadish Barma Basunia, the TMC's candidate representing the Rajbanshi community and the current MLA of Sitai.
Political dispute
TMC accuses BJP of halting funds for housing projects
Before Modi's visit, TMC's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee accused the PM on Wednesday of halting funds for housing projects for the poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) due to purported irregularities.
He challenged Modi to furnish a white paper on the funds allocated to Bengal under PMAY after the BJP's defeat in the 2021 assembly polls.
In response, Samik Bhattacharya, chief spokesperson for Bengal BJP, contended that the Centre stopped the funds owing to corruption during TMC's governance.
Political shift
Cooch Behar: From Left Front to BJP stronghold
Cooch Behar was previously dominated by the Left Front constituent All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), which held the seat for an uninterrupted 32 years from 1977 to 2009.
However, it has now become a BJP stronghold, with the party winning five out of seven assembly segments in the 2021 state polls.
This rally will be Modi's first in the state since the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the poll schedule on March 16.