West Bengal Election 2026 LIVE: Mamata Banerjee holds bike rally; PM Modi says he'll return for oath ceremony on May 4

North 24 Parganas, West Bengal: Tension erupts between TMC and BJP workers in Baranagar, during the final hours of campaigning for the second phase of West Bengal elections.

Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visited various areas in West Bengal as part of the final phase of the election campaign. During this period, he addressed public meetings and held road shows in Kultali (Jaynagar district), Basirhat North, and Basirhat West (Basirhat district).

During his visit, he received public support. He interacted with local residents and participated in various events. This tour is considered important to strengthen the party's preparations for the final phase of the elections.

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC candidate from Bhabanipur Assembly constituency, Mamata Banerjee, holds a bike rally ahead of the second phase of the West Bengal elections.

PM Modi posts on X: “My dear family members in West Bengal, this festival of democracy has brought before you a golden opportunity to hoist the flag of BJP's victory. I am certain that on 29 April, you will set a new record in voting. In this historic moment, I have expressed my sentiments through an audio message…”

AITC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee met TMC MP Mitali Bag at Arambagh Hospital.

TMC MP from Arambagh, Mitali Bag, claimed that her car was attacked during campaigning, and blamed BJP workers for being behind it.

BJP leader and veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty says, "Today is the last day( for campaigning). Whatever happens after this will happen after the 4th of May. There will be no problem in the elections, that much is guaranteed. The elections will be very smooth..."

At the polling station, officials will verify voter identity. After verification, officials mark the voter’s finger with indelible ink. Voters then cast their votes using an EVM, and the VVPAT system briefly displays a printed slip to confirm the choice. The process maintains secrecy and security.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday exuded confidence that the BJP would form the next government in West Bengal after the assembly polls, asserting that he would return to the state for the oath-taking ceremony after results are announced on May 4.

"The mood that I have sensed in West Bengal, I can say that I have to come again during the oath-taking ceremony of the BJP government after May 4," Modi said, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.

Phase 2 of the elections will be held on 29 April, covering 142 constituencies, including South 24 Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly. Polling will run from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Voters must carry a valid photo identification to cast their vote. The most commonly used document is the Voter ID card (EPIC), though several other IDs are also accepted. They are:

Aadhaar card

PAN card

Passport

Driving licence

Bank passbook with photo

Government or service ID

A voter slip is not mandatory for voting, but it can help identify the correct polling booth. Voters should ensure their names are listed in the electoral roll before arriving.

Bhabanipur votes, along with 151 other seats, in the second and final phase of the West Bengal assembly election, on 29 April. The first phase of voting in West Bengal was held on 23 April. The results will be declared on 4 May.

Bhabanipur is not just an ordinary contest in West Bengal, where elections are largely seen as a bipolar contest between the ruling TMC and the opposition BJP. The seat is Mamata Banerjee's home turf, and that is precisely why the BJP chose it as a strategic seat, fielding its heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari from here. Read more

Power is usually decided in the crowded plains of South Bengal, where elections are won less by momentum and more by mathematics.

At the heart of that battle lie North and South 24 Parganas - the twin districts which, along with Kolkata and Howrah, form the TMC's strongest fortress and the BJP's most crucial gateway to power.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to reach Sikkim on Monday for a two-day tour, during which he will hold a roadshow, attend the closing ceremony of 50 years of statehood and launch projects worth ₹4,000 crore, officials said.

Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place in the state capital and surrounding areas in view of Modi's visit, they said.

BJP's rise experts say, is driven by issues like illegal immigration, the Hindutva agenda, and the promise of development, with projected competitive performance in 2026 assembly polls, the last and final phase of which is scheduled on 29 April. Read more

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered a case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal, officials said.

In pursuance to the home ministry's order, the anti-terror agency on Sunday registered a case, which was originally filed at Uttar Kashi police station, Bhangar division, Kolkata on Saturday, and took up the investigation, an NIA spokesperson said in a late night statement.

Ratna Debnath, the mother of the woman doctor who was raped and murdered in the RG Kar hospital two years ago, is the BJP candidate from Panihati constituency in North 24 Paraganas. Debnath is contesting against TMC MLA Nirmal Ghosh, who has been holding the seat for the most part since 1996.

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Thakurnagar in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, TMC RS MP Mamata Bala Thakur says, "Narendra Modi is such a person that whenever he has an advantage, when he needs the votes of the Matua community, he comes to Thakurbari.He did the same and went to Bangladesh."

Tensions reached a boiling point in North 24 Parganas on Sunday night as violent clashes broke out between Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters in front of the Jagaddal Police Station.

The unrest comes just hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold a high-profile public meeting in the region on Monday.

The spark for the violence was reportedly the tearing of political flags and posters put up for the Prime Minister's visit. What began as a dispute over campaign banners escalated into a full-scale confrontation involving stone-pelting, alleged bombings, and gunfire.

The TMC alleged that CRPF personnel were seen allowing BJP's Nitin Nabin to use their vehicle for campaigning. BJP leaders are now being chauffeured around in CRPF vehicles on election duty.

“Central Forces are supposed to be neutral custodians of free and fair elections. But when the Home Minister personally micro-manages every instrument of the state, when the entire machinery has been bought, sold, and delivered to BJP's service, expecting impartiality from forces under Amit Shah's direct command would be, to put it generously, naive,” the TMC said in a post on X with a video

AITC State General Secretary and Spokesperson Tanmoy Ghosh says, “... By 11 am on 4th May, you won't find any of these outsiders, be it the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, or CMs from various states, on the soil of Bengal... We have been saying from day one that TMC will form the government with at least 230 to 250 seats. People's blessings are with the TMC, Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee..."

On Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi's statement that there is lawlessness and no democracy in Bengal, he says, "... Rahul Gandhi must understand that by doing all such activities, he is empowering the BJP..."