Prime Minister Narendra Modi has coined the rallying cry ''Paltano darkar, chai BJP sarkar' (Need to change, want BJP government) for his party on Saturday ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.
The BJP will look to toss the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government out of power after its 15-year-long in the eastern state.
The prime minister was in the state to flag off India's first sleeper Vande Bharat train from Malda.
On the same day, he slammed the TMC government from a BJP rally, saying that infiltration has become the biggest challenge for the state. He alleged that mass infiltration has altered the demography of West Bengal, and has triggered riots in the districts of Malda and Murshidabad.
The PM also claimed that the 'syndicate' system of the TMC is working to ensure infiltrators are settled across the state.
Modi also sought to assuage the fears of Hindu refugees from Bangladesh who migrated to India amid the going controversy regarding the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
"I want to assure refugees like the Matuas who took shelter in India due to religious persecution: you need not worry," he said.
"Infiltration is a very big challenge before Bengal. There are developed and prosperous countries in the world which have no shortage of money, yet they are removing infiltrators. It is equally necessary to remove infiltrators from West Bengal," he said, as per a PTI report.
"Hooliganism and politics of threats" used by the TMC will soon come to an end, as per Modi. He also pointed to the fact that Bengal is surrounded by states where the BJP is in power and has been able to ensure "good governance", asserting that now it was Bengal's turn.
"Bengal is surrounded on all sides by BJP governments that stand for good governance. Now it is time for good governance in Bengal too," he said.
How does the Bengal Assembly look like currently?
The West Bengal Assembly has a total of 294 seats. TMC has an absolute majority, with 223 MLAs of their own. One MLA of the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) is their ally, along with another independent MLA, bringing the total MLA count of the ruling coalition to 225.
The BJP is the chief opposition party with 65 MLAs, led by Suvendu Adhikari inside the House. Two other seats are occupied by members of the ISF and JUP parties, while two seats are vacant.
Bengal goes to polls this year, along with other states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, and the Union Territory of Pondicherry.
