With West Bengal Assembly elections looming just months away, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has unveiled an ambitious campaign strategy, announcing nine Parivartan Rath Yatras to crisscross the State and rally supporters against the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). The yatras, echoing the party’s 2021 poll playbook, aim to cover all 294 Assembly constituencies over 5,000 km, featuring bike rallies, tableaux, 60 large public meetings, and over 300 smaller gatherings.S
The campaign kicks off in phases, with the first set flagged off on March 1 from Cooch Behar Dakshin, Krishnanagar Dakshin, Garbeta, Raydighi, and Kulti. A second wave follows on March 2 from Islampur, Sandeshkhali, Hasan, and Amta. No events are planned on March 3-4 for Holi (Dol) celebrations, resuming March 5 through March 10, culminating in a mega rally at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya, speaking after a key organisational meeting attended by leaders like former MP Locket Chatterjee and ex-Tripura CM Biplab Deb, emphasised the yatras’ transformative intent. “This is not Rath Yatra. It is Parivartan Yatra,” echoed Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. “It will take place in order to bring a change in Bengal. It has happened in other States as well, so we are organising this in Bengal also.”
Bhattacharya lambasted TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee’s regime, drawing parallels to the end of Left Front rule in 2011. “In 2011, there was a significant political change in West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee had one clear agenda: the restoration of democracy. However, in the end, what happened was that one hegemony was simply replaced by another. Trinamool Congress and corruption were seen as almost synonymous, as there is hardly any Government office without allegations of corruption,” he charged. He added on a lighter note, “We are actually scared to use the word Rath after the way Lord Jagannath was dragged from Puri to Digha.”
Inaugurations will draw star power, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP president Nitin Nabin, former president JP Nadda, Union Ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Nitin Gadkari, Dharmendra Pradhan, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, and Smriti Irani presiding over the nine phases.
Party sources indicated PM Modi might join the Cooch Behar leg and a mid-March Kolkata visit between March 13-16. “The PM’s presence will give a huge boost to all party workers,” a senior leader noted.
The BJP also released a book, “Andhar-er Koto Kotha”, spotlighting alleged “Mahajangalraj” under TMC. Adhikari affirmed similar yatras nationwide ahead of polls, while Bhattacharya outlined Kolkataspecific plans: tableaux and campaigns across 29 segments. “We expect the nine yatras will traverse 5,000 km and cover all assembly segments in Bengal. Once the yatras pass, we will start campaigning for the Brigade rally the very next day,” he said. With HS exams ongoing, full-fledged campaigning awaits their conclusion, as route maps are finalised.
The move sharpens BJP’s anti-incumbency pitch, targeting rural voters and marginalised communities disillusioned after 15 years of TMC rule.
