Suvendu vows to make Mamata 'former CM', sets target of winning 180 seats in next year's Bengal polls

Tamluk: Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday set a target for the party to win at least 180 seats in next year's assembly elections to oust the ruling Trinamool Congress from power.

The Leader of Opposition in the state assembly was addressing BJP workers and supporters at a rally in Tamluk in Purba Medinipur district.

"In the Lok Sabha polls, you gifted both seats in the district to (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi. Now, take a pledge that we will win all 16 assembly seats in this district. We will secure at least 180 seats in the state. This time, we will make Mamata (Banerjee) a former chief minister," he said.

In the 2021 assembly elections, the BJP had set a target of crossing the 200-seat mark but managed to win only 77 seats, while the Trinamool Congress secured 213 seats to retain power.

The ruling party has already set its own target for next year's elections.

At a recent meeting at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told party workers, "We must win two-thirds of the seats, which means at least 196. But I will say, we should aim for at least 215 plus seats. Nothing less." Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh mocked Adhikari's 180-seat goal, saying, "In 2021, they said '200 paar' and got 77. Now their tally is down to 60-62, and before the elections, it will drop to 40. They have lowered their target as next time, they won't even get 30 seats." In the last Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had campaigned with the slogan of winning over 400 seats but fell short, securing 240.

Adhikari also led a protest march in Tamluk against the violence during Holi.

The rally, which began at Rajbari Maidan, passed through the Borgabhima temple and Tamralipta Medical College before concluding near the statue of Khudiram Bose.

The rally was held with the permission of the Calcutta High Court after the police initially denied clearance.

"On the day of Holi, there were incidents of violence in Tamluk and Nandakumar area. The police, instead of controlling the situation, ran away to the station. When we wanted to protest, the police refused permission," Adhikari alleged.

The court allowed the rally but restricted participation to 1,000 people.

"We adhered to that order and invited exactly 1,000 people to join. As the march progressed, enthusiastic supporters stood on the roadside to greet us," he added.