Security has been tightened up in different parts of North Bengal where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is going to start her poll campaign on Monday.
Banerjee is scheduled to hold rallies and meeting at two different places. One in Matigara-Naxalbari Assembly constituency and another in the Phansidewa Assembly constituency.
Trinamool Congress candidates from all the Assembly constituencies in Darjeeling districts including Harka Bahadur Chettri, the candidate from Kalimpong Assembly constituency, Sarda Rai Subba of Darjeeling constituency, Shanta Chhetri, the party’s candidate of Kurseong, Baichung Bhutia the former captain of the Indian football team and the candidate from Siliguri and Carolus Lakra, who is fighting from Phansidewa Assembly Constituency will be present in the meeting.
Banerjee will also be taking part in a rally from Siliguri More to Venus More. Officers of the Bomb Disposal Squad and Dog Squad were also busy in their tasks to check the important installations on the route through which the rally will pass.
Thousands of people will be taking part in the rally. The party supporters were also busy decorating the roads with party flags and banners.
After attending the procession, the party chief will also be holding a worker’s conference at Ghoshpukur. She will observe Nandigram Divas in Siliguri.
Besides the State police, jawans of Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBPF) too are ensuring that no untoward incident takes place in the region that comes under their jurisdiction during Banerjee’s visit.
Vigil in the bordering areas has been intensified and at the same time round-the-clock patrolling in the “sensitive” bordering areas has been ensured.
The step has been taken so that no one can sneak into the area with a purpose to create chaos during the meeting where lakh of people are supposed to gather.
Huge contingents of the State police in different teams headed by senior officers had initiated the task of frisking the areas from Saturday night and in many places people police pickets have been posted. Policemen have also started checking vehicles at important intersections.
North Bengal has always been a trouble zone for Trinamool Congress since its inception in the late 90s.
Recently, the party has strengthened its base in North Bengal after the State government had carried out a series of development works in the past four and a half years.
Harka Bahadur Chhetri, who had contested as a leader of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and elected from Kalimpong Assembly constituency in 2011 Assembly elections, is contesting from the same constituency as a Trinamool Congress candidate.
The State government has set up a corpus of Rs 100 crore to give financial assistance to the workers of closed tea units.
The Chief Minister had requested the Centre to take over the closed units. The workers are getting rice at Rs 2 per kg.
Uttar Kanya, an administrative building which houses the Headquarters of North Bengal was inaugurated by the Chief Minister.
North Bengal is coming up as a major tourist attraction. Gazaldoba has been developed as a tourist spot. A safari park was inaugurated by the Chief Minister 2 months ago. Kanyashree and Sabuj Sathi have earned sufficient popularity among the beneficiaries.
Political experts said that Trinamool Congress as a party would do well in the election this year. In this backdrop organising rallies and meetings are likely to boost up party workers to defeat the unofficial alliance between Congress and CPI(M) which is considered quite strong in the area.