Siliguri, April 6: Mamata Banerjee
will address a public meeting at Chowrasta in Darjeeling on April 13 to
seek votes for Trinamul Congress candidate Bhaichung Bhutia, two days
before the campaign closes.
“Our party
chairperson will visit north Bengal from April 11 to 13 and attend a
number of public meetings in the districts of North Dinajpur,
Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar. On April 13, she will address a
public meeting at Chowrasta in Darjeeling,” minister Gautam Deb, who is
also the north Bengal core committee chairman of Trinamul, said here
today.
“We have been
extensively campaigning across the hills and the public meeting by
Mamata Banerjee at Chowrasta will help secure more votes for Bhaichung
Bhutia. The meetings, planned at 1pm in Darjeeling and at 4pm in
Siliguri on the same day, will bring in additional votes for Bhaichung.
People in the hills want peace, development and democracy and only
Trinamul can ensure these things,” he added.
Sources in
Trinamul said the decision by Mamata to campaign in Darjeeling had been
spurred by the GNLF’s announcement of support for Bhaichung.
“The GNLF’s
support for Bhutia is one of the prime positive factors, which have led
to our decision. Subash Ghisingh had announced the GNLF’s backing for
Bhutia on Friday. Till then, Darjeeling was not included in Mamata’s
itinerary for north Bengal and she was supposed to visit only Siliguri
on April 13. The prospects of Bhutia’s win in Darjeeling have been
boosted by the GNLF’s support. Our party and chairperson will prove once
again to the hill residents that she is always with them, whether on
development, law and order or elections,” a district Trinamul leader
said on condition of anonymity.
The chief minister
had visited the hills only once to campaign for Bhutia — she went up to
Gorubathan in Kalimpong subdivision on March 26 to attend a Trinamul
workers’ meeting.
The BJP’s prime
ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, is also scheduled to address a
meeting in support of party candidate, S.S. Ahluwalia, who is backed by
the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, at Khaprail near Siliguri on April 10.
Deb said Trinamul Rajya Sabha MP and actor Mithun Chakraborty would accompany Mamata during her tour of north Bengal.
Mamata will hold
public meetings in Dalkhola, Islampur and Chopra in North Dinajpur on
April 11, and in Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Dinhata the next day.
“Further, actor
Dev, who is contesting from Ghatal on a Trinamul ticket, will visit
north Bengal on April 14 and 15. He will be accompanied by Mukul Roy and
will speak at public meetings at Mathabhanga, Tufanganj and
Jalpaiguri. The actor will also attend a road show in Siliguri on April
15,” said the minister.(TT)