Jadavpur, West Bengal, April 24 — Hundreds of women joined a massive public gathering in Jadavpur, West Bengal, ahead of the second phase of West Bengal Assembly elections, eager to catch a glimpse of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rally. Among the enthusiastic crowd were a woman who authored an entire book on PM Modi and a young student who spent a sleepless night crafting a hand-drawn portrait of the Prime Minister — both hoping to personally present their gifts to him.

Women Arrive with Heartfelt Gifts for PM Modi

Mahua Upadhyay, a resident who penned a book about Prime Minister Modi in the Bengali language, arrived at the rally clutching her work with quiet determination. The book, she explained, chronicles the policy reforms PM Modi has introduced, the achievements of his government, and the aspirations ordinary citizens hold for his leadership.

"This is a book written on him — the amendments he made, the good things he did, and the things we expect from him. All of this is written in this book," Upadhyay told reporters. Acknowledging that PM Modi may not read Bengali, she added with optimism, "I have brought this with the hope that someone will narrate it for him."

Meanwhile, Adrika, a student who had just cleared her Class 12 Board examinations, arrived with a hand-drawn sketch of PM Modi that she worked on through the night. "It took me a whole night to make this. I am very excited — I had wished to see him for so long," she said, her enthusiasm reflecting a sentiment shared widely across the gathering.

Women's Safety and Unemployment: Key Grievances Voiced

Upadhyay used the rally as a platform to highlight what she described as two defining crises facing West Bengal — unemployment and women's safety. She alleged that government recruitment in the state had been stalled for fifteen years, forcing residents to migrate to other states for employment opportunities.

"Recruitment has not happened here for the last fifteen years, which is why people have to go to other states for work. Even when recruitment does happen, it is riddled with corruption," she alleged. Her remarks come against the backdrop of the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam, which has been under scrutiny by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), with several senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders arrested in connection with the case.

On the issue of women's security, Upadhyay was unequivocal. "Especially in West Bengal, women face abuse and harassment. That is the main problem. We want female security here," she stated. Another woman at the event echoed this sentiment, saying, "We don't need the Trinamool government anymore — women are not safe under their regime. We want to bring the BJP government."

Sharp Criticism of CM Mamata Banerjee Over Women's Rights

Upadhyay levelled pointed criticism at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, referencing a statement in which CM Banerjee allegedly advised women against venturing out after 8 PM. "Being a woman herself and in charge of the entire West Bengal, how can she say this?" Upadhyay demanded.

She also challenged the Trinamool Congress government's long-standing slogan of 'Maa-Mati-Manush' (Mother-Soil-People), questioning whether restricting women's movement after dark was consistent with the respect that slogan implied. "She claims her government represents Maa-Mati-Manush, but is this how respect is given to women?" she asked. The remark draws attention to a broader contradiction critics have flagged — that a state government led by India's only female Chief Minister has faced repeated allegations of failing to protect women.

This criticism notably intensifies in the context of the R.G. Kar Medical College rape and murder case of August 2024, in which a trainee doctor was brutally assaulted on hospital premises in Kolkata — an incident that triggered nationwide protests and placed CM Banerjee's administration under intense scrutiny over law enforcement and institutional accountability.

Electoral Context: Phase 2 and BJP's Bengal Push

The rally in Jadavpur is part of BJP's intensified campaign push ahead of the second phase of West Bengal Assembly elections. PM Modi has been conducting multiple rallies across the state, seeking to consolidate the party's gains from the 2021 state elections, where BJP secured 77 seats — its best-ever performance in the state — but fell short of TMC's commanding majority of 213 seats.

Upadhyay noted that she had previously had the opportunity to meet PM Modi on stage during an event at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata, underscoring the deep personal connect many BJP supporters in the state feel with the Prime Minister. The presence of women at the forefront of this rally signals BJP's deliberate outreach to female voters — a demographic that has historically leaned toward TMC due to schemes like Lakshmir Bhandar, which provides direct cash transfers to women.

Broader Implications for West Bengal Politics

The scenes from Jadavpur underscore a significant shift in political mobilisation in West Bengal. Women, who form a crucial vote bank in the state, are increasingly vocal about issues of safety, employment, and governance accountability — concerns that cut across party lines but are being channelled by BJP into electoral momentum.

Analysts note that if BJP can consolidate discontent among women voters — particularly in urban and semi-urban constituencies — it could meaningfully alter the electoral calculus in Phase 2 and beyond. With voting dates approaching, the battle for West Bengal is shaping up to be as much about ground-level grievances as it is about top-down political narratives.

As Phase 2 polling draws closer, all eyes will be on voter turnout patterns among women across key constituencies, which could prove decisive in determining whether TMC retains its dominance or BJP makes further inroads into the state.