Kamal Ghorui
Kolkata: West Bengal CM and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee invoked on Monday memories of harassment during SIR queues, urging voters to “stand in a line once more” and respond through ballots to “teach BJP a lesson” as she wrapped up campaigning with a series of roadshows across south Kolkata.“I request all of you to give your response through your vote. This is a fight to protect your rights,” she said before roadshows criss-crossing Jadavpur and Bhowanipore, both central to her career.She cautioned of alleged attempts to influence polling and asked voters to remain alert inside booths. “Do not leave immediately after casting your vote. Check VVPAT to ensure your vote has been recorded in favour of the candidate you chose,” she said.Dressed in her trademark white sari with blue border, Banerjee moved briskly across three stretches – Sulekha to Dhakuria, Golpark to Gariahat, and Ballygunge Phari to Gopalnagar – racing against the EC 6pm deadline on the last day of canvassing. Pressed for time, she briefly rode pillion on a motorbike through a congested stretch to stay on schedule.The Jadavpur stop carried personal weight. “Jadavpur is a place of struggle for me. It was the people of Jadavpur who first ensured my victory,” she said. “I have always begun my final phase of the campaign from here… I have come to pay my respects to this soil.”Banerjee, a seven-time MP and four-time MLA, recalled her 1984 victory over CPM stalwart Somnath Chatterjee that marked her emergence in national politics, becoming one of India’s youngest parliamentarians. She lost the seat in 1989, returned via Kolkata South, and entered assembly from Bhowanipore in 2011.She has never lost Bhowanipore, winning the 2011 bypolls by 54,213 votes, 2016 by 25,301, and the 2021 bypolls by 58,835 after her narrow 1,956-vote defeat to Suvendu Adhikari of BJP in Nandigram.Her campaign trail this year featured temple visits, market rounds, high-rise outreach and marches. Monday marked her 21st roadshow since candidates were announced. At Hazra crossing, crowds swelled by late afternoon. Banerjee, joined by RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav and party colleagues, moved through supporters shouting “Jai Bangla”.The final rally ended abruptly. By the time the procession reached Gopalnagar, the clock had struck the campaign deadline, forcing her to skip the address and leave.
