Abhishek Banerjee to start campaigning with TMC govt's report ahead of polls

Kolkata, Jan 1 (PTI) As West Bengal gears up for assembly elections in a few months, Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is set to hit the road from Friday with a report card of the Mamata Banerjee government's work in the last 14 years of its rule since 2011.

In an X handle post on Thursday, the TMC raised the slogan coined by Banerjee - "Jotoi koro hamla, abar jitbe Bangla" (how much you may attack, Bengal will emerge victorious again).

The post said, "No injustice, no conspiracy, no intimidation has ever bent Bengal's spine. In every battle to safeguard the rights and dignity of Bengal's people, Shri @abhishekaitc has led from the front." Banerjee is considered number two in the TMC hierarchy.

"From tomorrow onwards, he will be on the streets, standing shoulder to shoulder with the people, resisting attempts to undermine democratic participation and disenfranchise legitimate voters," the post said.

After a 10-member TMC delegation met the full bench of the Election Commission on Wednesday over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, Banerjee told reporters that his party will not accept the final voter list if it has "discrepancies" and that they will "fight it legally." The three-time Diamond Harbour MP had on December 27 said, "I will take to the streets from January 2," emphasising that he will bring forth to the people the work done by the TMC government in its 15-year rule since 2011 in various sectors from healthcare to industrialisation or sports.

The party will take to the people a detailed report card on these," Banerjee, nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, said.

The TMC leader said that for the next one month, he will hold roadshows, public meetings and community interactions in various places of the state, starting from Baruipur in South 24 Parganas district on January 2.

Both the TMC and opposition BJP are already resorting to high pitch rhetoric over the elections to the 294-seat West Bengal assembly, likely to be held in April this year. PTI AMR NN