Darjeeling/Jalpaiguri: With the 2026 Assembly elections round the corner, all eyes are on North Bengal as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee begins a three-day visit from Tuesday. The Chief Minister will arrive at Bagdogra Airport in Siliguri on Tuesday and return to Kolkata on Thursday, with Jalpaiguri set to be the focal point of her engagements.
Though her schedule has not been made public yet, sources state that on arrival at Bagdogra Airport, she will head for Uttarkanya, the mini secretariat. Enroute there is a possibility of the Chief Minister garlanding the statue of Thakur Panchanan Barma, located at the Noukaghat More. The Chief Minister will be spending the night at Kanyashree government guest house located in the premises of Uttarkanya. On Wednesday, the Chief Minister is scheduled to attend a government distribution programme in Jalpaiguri.
Preparations are in full swing at Jalpaiguri for the administrative event. The distribution programme will be held at the ABPC ground in the afternoon. In the run-up to the visit, the district administration and police have carried out multiple inspections of the venue. District Magistrate Shama Parveen, Superintendent of Police Khandbahale Umesh Ganpath, Additional SP Shouvonik Mukherjee, Kotwali IC Sanjay Dutta, and Jalpaiguri Municipality vice-chairman Saikat Chatterjee were among the senior officials present during the reviews.
Elaborate security measures are being put in place to ensure the Chief Minister’s visit goes smoothly. Officials have scrutinised stage construction, seating arrangements, traffic control and VIP security protocols. The Chief Minister is expected to land at the Assam More helipad, roughly a kilometre from the venue, before proceeding to the programme venue by road. Meanwhile, cleaning and infrastructure upgrades are underway at the ABPC ground and surrounding areas. Sources in the administration said surveillance is being intensified, with additional police personnel, CCTV cameras and a special control room to be deployed.
From the official stage, Mamata Banerjee will launch the Amrut Project, aimed to supply drinking water directly to households in Jalpaiguri. In its first phase, purified water from the Teesta will reach around 19,000 homes under Jalpaiguri Municipality, at an estimated cost of Rs 150 crore.
The Chief Minister is also expected to distribute land deeds, inaugurate crèche houses and health centres in tea gardens and lay foundation stones for several development projects along with laying foundation stones for new projects and inaugurating completed ones. “We have heard that she will attend the government service distribution programme in Jalpaiguri, but whether she will hold any organisational meetings has not been confirmed,” said Mahua Gope, Jalpaiguri district president of the Trinamool Congress.
The area around the Teesta Barage at Gajoldoba in Jalpaiguri is also being spruced up. The Chief Minister could pay a visit to this area which also houses the ‘Bhorer Alo’. From Jalpaiguri, she is scheduled to return to the government guest house at Uttar Kanya to spend the night. On Thursday, she will depart for Kolkata.