BJP targets 400-plus seats, give them 440-volt shock in polls: TMC's Abhishek

Senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday, 20 April, called upon people to give a "440-volt shock" in the polls to the BJP, which is targeting to win over 400 Lok Sabha seats, so that "jolts are felt in Delhi and it does not return to power this time".

Addressing a public rally in Raiganj Lok Sabha seat, the TMC national general secretary urged people to vote for the ruling party in the state, which, he claimed, lost out to the BJP in the 2019 polls in this north Bengal constituency due to "CPI(M) and Congress cutting into its votes".

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi says 'abki baar, 400 paar'. But I say give a 440-volt shock to the BJP so that jolts are felt in Delhi and it does not return to power this time. The BJP always does divisive politics and it should be given a befitting reply by the people," he said.

Raiganj Lok Sabha seat will go to polls in the second phase on 26 April.

Abhishek Banerjee, who is also the nephew of West Bengal chief minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee, claimed that the BJP candidate who had won from Raiganj constituency in 2019 (Debasree Chaudhuri) was not seen in the constituency in the last five years.

"In the last five years, she was a Union minister for two years. Not a single paisa had been spent for the development of the constituency," Abhishek Banerjee claimed.

"She has now deserted Raiganj and has gone to Kolkata Dakshin constituency," he added.

Abhishek Banerjee asserted that the TMC will win all three north Bengal constituencies – Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar – that went to polls in the first phase on Friday.

He asserted that the TMC has never bowed down before the BJP.

"People are leaving the BJP and joining the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal. Please don't think the TMC is weak. If the BJP knows how to break into other political parties, the TMC is equally capable of doing that," Abhishek Banerjee said.

TMC has fielded Krishna Kalyani from Raiganj seat.

"Kalyani left the BJP to join the TMC. The day after he was inducted into the Trinamool Congress, Income Tax raids took place on his premises," Abhishek Banerjee claimed.

"But those seen taking cash on camera are sitting at peace in their homes," he said, without naming anyone.