Mamata wraps up campaign with south Kolkata roadshow

PTI, April 27, 2026, Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee undertook a roadshow in south Kolkata spanning over six kilometres on Monday afternoon at the fag end of campaigning for the second and final phase of the West Bengal Assembly election.

The TMC supremo was accompanied by party Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose and candidates Aroop Biswas and Debasish Kumar from Tollygunge and Rashbehari, respectively.

People waiting on the roadside and on rooftops and balconies waved at Mamata as she greeted them with folded hands, walking briskly, as her party compatriots had a tough time keeping pace with her. The Chief Minister is contesting from the Bhabanipur Assembly seat, where she is pitted against her bete noire, Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, who defeated her in the 2021 elections in Nandigram. Mamata was subsequently elected from Bhabanipur in a by-election.

The roadshow started at Sukanta Setu in the Jadavpur area and culminated at Gopalnagar crossing, past her Kalighat residence, with two small stopovers in between.

TMC flags, festoons, cutouts of Mamata and banners with slogans in favour of the candidates adorned the roadside through which the roadshow passed and culminated at around 5.30 pm. A large number of TMC supporters participated in the roadshow that the TMC supremo conducted to end her campaign for the 2026 Assembly election in West Bengal.

Campaigning for the second and final phase of West Bengal Assembly polls ended on Monday amid a fierce political battle dominated by exchanges over SIR, infiltration, corruption and unemployment, with both the BJP and the TMC making a slew of promises to voters across 142 constituencies.

During the high-octane campaign, the BJP leadership accused the ruling TMC of turning West Bengal into a haven for infiltrators, while Mamata alleged that the saffron party was indulging in divisive politics, attempting to bifurcate the state and discouraging consumption of fish and eggs. A total of 3,21,73,837 electors — 1,64,35,627 men, 1,57,37,418 women and 792 third-gender voters — are eligible to vote in this phase of the elections scheduled for April 29. Polling will be held at 41,001 stations, with webcasting covering all polling stations.

The EC has put in place extensive security arrangements, deploying 2,321 companies of central forces across seven districts.

Key candidates in this phase include the Chief Minister herself. In Kolkata Port, senior TMC leader Firhad Hakim is up against BJP candidate Rakesh Singh, with the minority-dominated constituency seen as crucial for the ruling party in central Kolkata.

Other important seats include Bhatpara, Jagatdal and Barrackpur, Bangaon, Dumdum, Sandeshkhali, Hingalganj, Ranaghat Uttar and Dakshin, Rashbehari, Jadavpur and Ballygunge.

Several BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief Ministers of Uttarakhand and Assam, campaigned in the state, attacking the TMC over alleged deterioration in law and order, rising crimes against women, political unrest, infiltration and corruption.