Kolkata, Apr 27 (PTI) Central forces will remain in West Bengal for 60 more days after the assembly polls, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday and asked voters to cast their votes without fear of “Didi’s goons” in the final phase, a remark signalling the Centre’s commitment to prevent possible post-poll violence.
Shah made the remarks while addressing a gathering on the last day of the election campaign after leading a massive roadshow in Behala, where voting will take place on Wednesday during the second and final phase of the West Bengal assembly polls.
Voting was held in 152 constituencies on April 23 during the first phase of elections for the 294-member assembly. A record 93 per cent voter turnout was registered in the first phase. Votes will be counted on May 4.
“Brothers and sisters, go and vote on the 29th, do not worry about Didi’s (Mamata Banerjee’s) goons. The Election Commission has deployed CAPF at every nook and corner, and I am telling you that even though the BJP will come to power after the elections, central forces will remain here for 60 more days,” he said.
The road show, organised in support of BJP candidates for Behala Purba and Behala Paschim, turned the south Kolkata neighbourhood into a sea of saffron on the final day of campaigning. Standing atop an open-hood vehicle, Shah waved at supporters and showered flower petals on crowds lining both sides of the road.
Asserting that there was a strong wave in favour of the BJP, Shah said that once voted to power, the party would take strict action against infiltrators and those involved in political violence.
“I want to warn Didi’s goons in Chandannagar – do not step out to intimidate voters on April 29. After May 4, the BJP will punish the culprits and hang them upside down,” he asserted.
Earlier this month, Election Commission officials said that as many as 500 CAPF companies will remain deployed across West Bengal for post-poll law and order duties even after the declaration of results. They will stay “till further orders of the EC,” they said. Each CAPF company comprises around 100 personnel. A record 2,450 central paramilitary companies, comprising nearly 2.5 lakh personnel, have been deployed across the state for the assembly polls. Of these, 2,321 CAPF companies have been deployed for the second phase of polling. Amit Shah’s statement that CAPFs would remain in West Bengal for “60 more days” even after polling is widely viewed through the prism of the 2021 post-poll violence in the state. After the results of the 2021 Assembly elections were declared on May 2, widespread violence was reported across several districts, with allegations of murders, arson, looting, assaults, sexual violence and forced displacement of opposition workers, particularly involving clashes between BJP and TMC supporters. Political observers say Shah’s remark serves multiple strategic purposes. First, it is aimed at reassuring anti-TMC voters—particularly BJP supporters in politically sensitive and violence-prone constituencies—that they can vote without fear of post-poll reprisals. In Bengal politics, allegations of post-election violence and intimidation remain a major psychological factor, and the BJP is seeking to neutralise that fear. Second, it helps reinforce the BJP’s long-standing political narrative that the TMC regime survives through coercion, intimidation and electoral violence, while the saffron party positions itself as the guarantor of democratic rights and free voting.
Third, it seeks to influence undecided voters and fence-sitters, especially in rural and semi-urban Bengal, where administrative pressure and local muscle power often shape voting behaviour. The underlying message is that the Centre will ensure protection, making it “safe” for voters to back the opposition.
During the roadshow, thousands of BJP workers and supporters, carrying party flags and orange-green balloons, thronged the route, raising slogans of “Jai Shri Ram” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai”.
Later in the day, Shah took part in another road show at Chandannagar in Hooghly district, which also drew huge crowds and enthusiastic participation from party supporters.
Shah, who addressed more than 50 rallies and roadshows across West Bengal during the two-phase assembly elections, remained stationed in Kolkata since the night of April 20. He closely monitored the party’s electoral strategy and organisational mobilisation on the ground, underscoring the BJP’s high-stakes campaign push in the state.
He also reiterated his allegations against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying she was opposing the removal of infiltrators from electoral rolls, and that the ruling Trinamool Congress was protecting illegal immigrants for vote-bank politics.
“Didi feels pain when we say infiltrators must be removed. She is opposing SIR. Right now, names have been removed from electoral rolls, and after May 4, all infiltrators will be identified and removed from Bengal,” he said.
After concluding the road show, Shah said the BJP was poised to form the next government in the state, and reiterated the party’s commitment to implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
“A BJP government is going to be formed. We will implement the UCC,” the home minister said, adding that after May 4, no one will be allowed to practice polygamy.
“So far, there has been no major incident of violence. Not a single death has taken place. The elections are being conducted peacefully,” he said.
In one of his sharpest attacks against the TMC during the ongoing campaign, Shah invoked the Ram temple-Babri Masjid dispute and referred to suspended TMC MLA and AJUP founder Humayun Kabir.
He alleged that Banerjee, through Humayun Kabir, wanted to build a “Babri Masjid” in Bengal.
“Mamata Didi wants her associate Humayun Kabir to build a Babri Masjid in Bengal. Didi, listen carefully. Bengal is in India. We will never allow a Babri Masjid to be built in Bengal,” Shah said.
He also alleged large-scale corruption in social welfare schemes under the TMC government, and asserted that those responsible would not be spared if the BJP came to power.
Shah said bringing the BJP to power in West Bengal was essential to transform the state into a “Sonar Bangla” and restore law and order, development and good governance.
Shah also visited Gangasagar, located at the sacred confluence of the Hooghly River and the Bay of Bengal, and offered prayers for the bravehearts of the Indian Army.
“I paid my respects to our brave soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation. Every Indian is proud of the courage of our security forces who lay down their lives for the country despite unimaginable challenges,” he said at Gangasagar in South 24 Parganas.
At the heritage Kapil Muni temple, Shah performed a puja and sought blessings for the nation’s well-being.
“I prayed to Maharishi Kapil, a symbol of knowledge, sacrifice and penance, for the welfare of the people of the country. His life and philosophy are an inspiration for every Indian,” he said.
Shah also offered prayers at the confluence, described as a sacred spot where the river meets the sea.
“I had the fortune of offering prayers at this holy place where the Ganga meets the sea. The sacred Ganga fills the mind with immense peace and spiritual bliss. May Maa Ganga continue to bless the people of the country,” he said in X posts in Hindi and Bengali. The Hooghly River is the westernmost distributary of the Ganga. PTI PNT BSM SUS RBT MNB PNT PYK PYK PYK
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