Political tensions rise as TMC counters Suvendu’s August 4 visit with parallel rally in Cooch Behar

Cooch Behar: Cooch Behar is bracing for a political showdown on August 4 as the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gear up for rival events in the Ghoksadanga area under Mathabhanga Assembly Constituency.

Tensions have escalated with TMC announcing parallel programmes to counter the BJP’s scheduled event led by Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who had earlier declared his plans to visit Cooch Behar with 65 MLAs. Adhikari’s visit is reportedly in response to alleged attacks on BJP legislators in the Ghoksadanga region.

District Trinamool Congress president Abhijit De Bhowmik confirmed that the party will hold two separate rallies on the same day—one in Ghoksadanga and another in a nearby location between Mathabhanga and the Cooch Behar North Assembly Constituency. “Our rally will begin slightly before and conclude shortly after the BJP’s event,” he said.

The TMC claims their protest aims to raise voices against the harassment of Bengalis in other states and the alleged issuance of NRC-related notices to Bengal residents.

Looking ahead, Bhowmik also announced a district-wide anti-NRC campaign on July 27. Block-level meetings will be held across Cooch Behar, including a key gathering near the Assam-Bengal border at Jorai Assam Gate, involving three Tufanganj organisational blocks. Uttam Kumar Brajbasi, a local resident who recently received an NRC notice from the Assam government, is expected to participate.

Meanwhile, BJP Cooch Behar District President Abhijit Barman accused TMC of being afraid of BJP’s growing influence. “Our leader Suvendu Adhikari will go ahead with the programme. If any obstacles are created, we will resist democratically. People will respond to TMC’s fear of politics with their votes in 2026,” he said.

As the date nears, all eyes remain on Ghoksadanga, where both parties are set to lock horns in a high-voltage political faceoff.