Mamata Banerjee Accuses PM Modi of Using Women’s Reservation Speech for Poll Campaign

West Bengal CM alleges abuse of government platform for BJP election campaigning, vows Election Commission complaint as Modi rallies in Bengal ahead of polls

Mamata’s election charge

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of misusing the national address on the Women’s Reservation Bill to pitch a political campaign for the BJP, in the run‑up to the Assembly elections. Speaking to reporters in Kolkata, Banerjee said the Prime Minister’s primetime speech was “not a policy announcement” but a partisan rally “targeted at Bengal voters,” and announced that her Trinamool Congress would move the Election Commission to flag misuse of state machinery.

Modi’s rallies in Bengal

Prime Minister Modi addressed four election rallies on Sunday—at Bishnupur, Purulia, Jhargram and Medinipur—areas where the BJP had recorded its strongest performance in the 2021 Assembly polls, particularly in the Bankura–Bishnupur belt. During his speeches, he held the Trinamool government responsible for “failing women” in the state, citing law‑and‑order and governance indicators, and urged voters to choose the BJP as a “clean break” from the TMC.

At Jhargram, Modi also staged a brief unplanned stop at a roadside shop during his roadshow, exchanging a few minutes with local vendors and customers, an incident that party workers later circulated as proof of his “connect with common people.”

BJP’s top‑level campaign push

Union Health Minister JP Nadda is scheduled to hold roadshows and public meetings in Baharampur, Contai and Bishnupur on Monday, while BJP national president Nitin Nabin will campaign via roadshows in Tamluk, Egra and Keshiary in Purba Medinipur. Sources in the BJP said the party is intensifying outreach in the southern Medinipur and Purulia‑Bankura belts, where significant voter‑shifts could alter the result matrix.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is also pencilled in for public meetings in Nanoor and Sainthia and a roadshow in Birbhum district on Monday, as part of a coordinated push to present the BJP as a viable alternative to the TMC‑led government.

Reactions from regional leaders

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, campaigning for a BJP candidate in Pandabeswar in West Bengal, asserted that sections of Indian Muslims “understand the BJP’s development agenda” and predicted that the party would cross a “double century” of seats in West Bengal and a “century” in Assam if trends held.

Meanwhile, TMC heavyweight Dilip Ghosh hit back at the BJP over its poll‑time promises, accusing the party of floating “unrealistic encounter‑based law‑and‑order models” and trying to “import UP‑style politics” to Bengal. TMC leaders have also targeted the BJP over alleged voter‑roll deletions, claiming the Election Commission’s Special Iterative Revision process has disproportionately affected poor and migrant workers.

Election Commission and security deployment

With polling due in multiple constituencies in the next few days, central security forces have started deploying in sensitive pockets of Bankura and adjoining districts, following recommendations from the Election Commission. Officials told reporters that the CRPF and other units are being used strictly for “security of polling infrastructure and public order,” denying any partisan deployment.

TMC leaders, however, have raised concerns about the scale of deployment, with some local leaders warning that the concentration of paramilitary personnel could be perceived as “intimidation” by voters in close‑contest seats.

National and international political backdrop

In Tamil Nadu, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge told a rally in Hosur that the DMK‑led alliance in the state remains united and has the strength to defeat the BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit Tamil Nadu on Monday, with rallies planned in Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts, underscoring the Congress’s attempt to reconnect with southern voters.

Elsewhere, Iran announced plans to reopen its airspace for commercial flights, saying nearly 95 per cent of the country’s airport network remains operational after recent security episodes, a move that could ease regional travel bottlenecks for Indian passengers and business travellers.

What lies ahead

As the election calendar tightens, the BJP and TMC are likely to escalate their public‑information campaigns, with both sides framing the contest as a “decisive verdict” on governance, women’s security and future development. The Mamata‑Modi clash over the women’s reservation speech, if formally escalated to the Election Commission, may also trigger a fresh round of debates on the neutrality of national platforms during election periods, adding another layer of scrutiny to the remaining campaign phase.

With major national leaders, regional powerbrokers and central agencies now in the spotlight, the coming days could shape whether Bengal sees a regime‑change narrative hold ground or whether the TMC manages to consolidate its grassroots base under the shadow of a high‑profile national campaign.