New Delhi, April 13 (NationPress) West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee claimed on Sunday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is devising secretive strategies to seize power as the upcoming Assembly elections approach, scheduled to occur in two phases later this month.

Notably, she made these allegations during her rallies in the districts of Bankura, Purba Bardhaman, and Paschim Bardhaman, asserting that the BJP is plotting “a third Partition of Bengal.” Such claims regarding a potential “division” have surfaced previously, especially during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. These accusations generally stem from political adversaries, particularly due to the BJP's performance in the northern and western regions of the state, where it secured nearly half of the 12 seats it won in West Bengal during the 2024 elections.

Bankura district is located in the western region of West Bengal. Further west and southwest, bordering Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha, are Paschim Bardhaman, Purulia, Jhargram, and both Purba and Paschim Medinipur. Many areas within these districts are part of the “Rarh Bengal” region, which has been characterized as a “planned part,” in addition to the alleged division of the state into northern and southern sections.

The BJP had a strong showing in several Lok Sabha seats in this region during the 2019 Parliamentary election, also performing commendably in numerous Assembly segments during the 2021 Assembly polls. However, the Trinamool managed to reclaim some Lok Sabha seats in 2024.

Now, Mamata has revived the “partition” narrative. By invoking the sentiment of Bengali Asmita, she warned that portions of the state could be merged with Bihar or Odisha, “where Bengalis would face discrimination.”

The Bankura Lok Sabha constituency comprises six Assembly segments within Bankura district, and one in Purulia. In 2019, the BJP captured this seat from the Trinamool by a margin exceeding 1.74 lakh votes, but it lost the seat back to the ruling party in 2024 by less than 33,000 votes. During the 2021 Assembly election, the BJP won four out of seven segments here, but in the 2024 Parliamentary election, it could only lead in one, that of the Bankura Vidhan Sabha seat.

The Bardhaman-Durgapur Parliamentary constituency spans both Purba and Paschim Burdwan districts, where in 2019, BJP’s S. S. Ahluwalia narrowly defeated the sitting Trinamool MP. However, in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Trinamool’s cricketer-candidate Kirti Azad won decisively. Among the seven Assembly seats in this constituency, the Trinamool maintained its lead in all but one. The BJP did manage to secure victory in the Durgapur Paschim segment in 2021, where it held its ground in 2024.

In the Asansol Lok Sabha constituency, which includes all seven Assembly segments in Paschim Bardhaman district, Babul Supriyo—previously with the BJP—won in both 2014 and 2019. He later switched to the Trinamool Congress. In 2024, film star Shatrughan Sinha won the seat for the ruling party. The BJP managed to retain its lead in two of the seven Assembly segments in 2014, where it had won the 2021 state election. It also maintained its hold on the Purulia Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 election, but with a significantly reduced margin. Among the seven Assembly seats, while the BJP had won four in the 2021 Vidhan Sabha polls, its lead diminished to three in the 2024 Parliamentary election. The BJP also lost the Jhargram Lok Sabha seat after winning it in 2019, as the Trinamool swept all seven Vidhan Sabha segments in 2021 and upheld its lead in the Parliamentary poll.

The outcomes were similarly mirrored in the Medinipur Parliamentary constituency, where six of the seven Assembly segments are situated in Paschim Medinipur district and one in Purba Medinipur. However, while the BJP could only secure one seat in 2021, it managed to lead in two during the Parliamentary election.

The Kanthi Lok Sabha constituency comprises all its seven Assembly segments in Purba Medinipur, where Soumendu Adhikari of the BJP triumphed in 2024. While the BJP had won four of the seven Assembly segments in 2021, it increased its lead to six seats in the 2024 Parliamentary poll.

Assembly elections in West Bengal are set for April 23 and 29, with results anticipated on May 4.