Mamata set to begin her tour of Goa today

KOLKATA: With her eyes set on the state Assembly elections in Goa scheduled next year, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee is set to begin her tour of the coastal state on Thursday.

This will be her maiden visit to the state after taking oath as chief minister of Bengal for the third time. Her visit comes at a time when her party has made substantial inroads into

Goa's political arena. Senior leaders from various other political parties have joined TMC in Goa over the past

six weeks.

Expanding its political footprint quite confidently, TMC has decided to fight the state Assembly polls in Goa. Sources said the party had also decided to field candidates in all 40

seats in Goa. The state Assembly elections in Goa are scheduled to be held in February 2022.

In a bid to boost the party's organisational strength in Goa, senior TMC leaders, MPs and ministers from the state had been camping in the coastal state in phases since September. Sources said the party

has planned to expand across various districts in Goa. Ahead of Banerjee's visit, as per

reports the streets of Goa were decked up with hoardings bearing her picture

and the party's slogan—"Goenchi Navi Sakal" (marking TMC's entry into the state as its new dawn). However, it is alleged that BJP has defaced hoardings with Banerjee's picture.

The Goa administration had earlier stopped TMC from hold a meeting there. Banerjee had said that such terror tactics couldn't stop the party from spreading its tentacles in the coastal state.