Cooch Behar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch his campaign for the Bengal Assembly elections by addressing a public rally at the Raas Mela Ground in Cooch Behar on April 5.

The rally will mark the formal beginning of the party’s election push in the state. Party leaders said the target is to mobilise around 1.5 lakh people.

This will be the fourth time Modi will address a public meeting at the Raas Mela Ground. He has held rallies at the venue while campaigning for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the 2021 Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“This public rally by the Prime Minister has already generated immense enthusiasm among the public. The message of change will spread across the entire state, starting from Cooch Behar,” said Abhijit Barman, president of the BJP’s Cooch Behar district committee.

Party sources said efforts are being made to mobilise workers down to the booth level. Transport and security are being prioritised to ensure participation from across the district.

BJP national functionary, Mangal Pandey, and Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Kailash Choudhary, visited the venue on Sunday to review the arrangements.

North Bengal has emerged as a key support base for the BJP in recent years. In the 2021 Assembly elections, the party won 30 of the 54 Assembly seats in the region. The party won seven of the nine seats in Cooch Behar, although the Trinamool Congress later won the Dinhata bypoll.

The BJP lost the Cooch Behar Lok Sabha seat in 2024, but won six of the eight Lok Sabha seats in north Bengal.

“By kickstarting its campaign here, the party is trying to boost organisational strength and consolidate its base in the region,” a political observer said.