Painting slogans, symbols and candidate names; planning street-corner meetings and briefing workers — party offices across the city turned into activity hotspots after the announcement of elections on Sunday.
The pace picked up further on Monday as the BJP and CPM unveiled their candidates. Vacant walls were whitewashed and booked for graffiti campaigns, CPM cadres took out rallies, and BJP candidates held meetings with party workers in their constituencies.
Walls, slogans
Trinamool stepped up its campaign across the city. “We have started painting slogans and party symbols on walls. We have kept some walls vacant where we will write the candidate’s name once that is announced,” said a Trinamool leader in Jadavpur.
Many walls displayed the campaign pitch: “Jotoi koro hamla, abar jitbe Bangla” (No matter the attacks, Bengal will win again).
Arijit Das Thakur, Trinamool councillor from Ward 106, said: “We have started poll-related work but are still waiting for the announcement of candidates... Once the names are out, we will have more to do.”
In Salt Lake, the BJP had whitewashed walls and claimed graffiti rights. “We also held meetings with our workers to plan dates, times and venues for rallies and street-corner meetings,” said Ophelia Sinha, party spokesperson. “We are identifying focus booths — the ones where we can win more votes. Hard work there will increase our leads and help us win the Assembly seat.”
Rallies, groundwork
In Behala, the CPM took out rallies with candidates Niloy Majumder (Behala East) and Nihar Bhakta (Behala West).At least 10 CPM rallies were organised on Monday, with candidates participating in some.
“We have several meetings scheduled for Tuesday,” said Bhakta.
The CPM graffiti focused on the communal politics
of the BJP and alleged
corruption in the Trinamool Congress government .
On Monday, the BJP announced candidates for 144 of Bengal’s 294 seats for the Assembly polls, while the Left Front released names for 192 constituencies.
Sajal Ghosh, BJP candidate from Baranagar in north Calcutta and councillor of Ward 50, said: “I have a series of meetings with party workers today. I will start the rallies from Tuesday.”
Trinamool leaders said they expect the party brass to announce candidates on Tuesday or Wednesday.