Amit Shah arrives in Kolkata on 3-day visit to Bengal, holds meeting with Bengal BJP leaders

Kolkata, Dec 29 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday held a meeting at the BJP office in Salt Lake here to take stock of the party's organisational preparedness for the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections in 2026 after landing here on a three-day visit to the state.

The meeting was held for more than two hours, where he was briefed by leaders on the preparations for next year's elections, a party source said.

After the meeting, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar said the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress will be voted out in the 2026 elections.

"This time, the TMC will definitely be voted out," he said, asserting that the BJP will certainly win.

"We briefed him about everything," Majumdar said when asked by reporters what transpired in the meeting.

“We have done the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) for all Hindu refugees, none of them need to worry. Even those who have come after 2014 can live happily in India. We have brought a law for them; no Hindu will have to leave the country," he added.

Arriving in Kolkata from Guwahati around 7.25 pm, Shah headed straight to the BJP office in Salt Lake. He reached his destination around 8.05 pm and was greeted by enthusiastic supporters, who gathered outside the venue.

They chanted 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Banchte Chai, BJP Tai' (Want to live, hence BJP), the party's central slogan for the upcoming state polls and showered rose petals as Shah's car halted in front of the BJP office.

Shah's visit would, almost for its entire part, be focused on setting the BJP's tone and tenor for the upcoming elections with a tightly packed itinerary of party meetings, workers' outreach programmes and even a coordination rendezvous with RSS leaders of the state, beside a visit to a Kali temple in the city.

The home minister was received at the airport by top leaders of the BJP's Bengal unit, including state president Samik Bhattacharya, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and Majumdar.

Shah was seen walking up to the BJP supporters, who braved the evening winter chill to welcome the leader with drums and trumpets, and greeting them.

They also showered rose petals on the leader's convoy.

The meeting was attended by 26 top BJP leaders in the state and party-appointed observers, where the strategic blueprint for the state polls and measures to plug possible loopholes in them are likely to be discussed, a senior BJP leader said.

On Tuesday, Shah is expected to hold a press conference, followed by back-to-back closed-door meetings with BJP's public representatives from the state in Parliament, Assembly and civic bodies and also with the top brass of Bengal RSS.

Shah may also chair several core committee meetings during his stay.

On Wednesday, Shah is scheduled to visit Thanthania Kali Bari Temple in central Kolkata. He is also scheduled to address a party workers' meeting at an auditorium in east Kolkata on that day.

The home minister is likely to visit the house of a Bengali icon in the city or its nearby areas before leaving, the BJP leader said, adding that this programme has not yet been finalised. PTI AMR SUS SMY MNB