PM Modi to address rally in Cooch Behar as BJP steps up Bengal campaign

New Delhi, April 5
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address a public meeting on Sunday at 4:15 p.m. in Cooch Behar, West Bengal, marking the Bharatiya Janata Party’s intensified push ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.

The Prime Minister will speak at the BJP’s ‘Bijoy Sankalpa Sabha’ at the historic Ras Mela Grounds, signalling the start of an aggressive outreach campaign in a region that has emerged as a saffron stronghold in recent years and remains a crucial electoral battleground.

Elections to the 294-member West Bengal Legislative Assembly are scheduled to be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.

The Sunday rally will be Prime Minister Modi’s first election meeting in the state since the poll dates were announced.

This will mark the fourth occasion that PM Modi addresses a public gathering at the Ras Mela Grounds. He had earlier held rallies at the venue during the campaigns for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls, and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

According to party leaders, the rally will be followed by a series of public meetings, roadshows, and organisational programmes by senior BJP figures across West Bengal, as the party gears up for a final push to secure a decisive mandate.

The Prime Minister had last visited the state on March 14, when he addressed a major rally at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata. The event marked the culmination of the BJP’s statewide ‘Parivartan Yatra’ campaign in the run-up to the elections.

During that visit, Modi also inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for infrastructure and connectivity projects worth approximately Rs 18,680 crore. These included national highway developments valued at around Rs 16,990 crore, covering over 420 kilometres of road projects. The initiatives are aimed at improving road safety, easing congestion, reducing travel time, and boosting regional connectivity and economic growth in eastern India.

With the campaign entering a crucial phase, today’s rally is expected to set the tone for the BJP’s strategy in north Bengal and beyond.