Purulia: An attempt by Trinamul to hold a bigger rally at the venue that hosted BJP national president Amit Shah on Thursday flopped as the turnout on Sunday looked thinner.

Trinamul's Purulia president and minister Shantiram Mahato said over one lakh people had attended the meeting, but some party insiders said the turnout was around 40,000.

Although the turnout estimates at Shah's meeting varied from 25,000 (according to Trinamul) to 2 lakh (according to the BJP), the rally on Thursday looked bigger as the venue and the surrounding areas were teeming with people.

"Trinamul had said the crowd would be five times that of what we could on Thursday. Look at what they have achieved despite being the ruling party. This is a clear indication that we have a bigger support base in Purulia," said Vidyasagar Chakraborty, the BJP president in Purulia.

While the turnout at political rallies is not the sole indicator of a party's support base, there is little doubt that bigger rallies give an idea of a party's organisational abilities and the appeal of the leaders to ordinary people.

Three senior Trinamul leaders - ministers Subhendu Adhikari, Firhad Hakim and Shashi Panja - were present at the Shimulia Football Grounds in Purulia town on Sunday.

"In terms of political weight, none of them could match Shah. So, it is not right to compare the rallies on Thursday and Sunday. Had there been Mamata Banerjee, the comparison could have been made," said a political scientist, who did not wish to be named.

Adhikari also obliquely broached the issue during his speech. "We organised the rally on such a short notice, still there is a big crowd. Had there been Mamata Banerjee, the crowd would have been five times bigger," he said.

Along expected lines, the speakers attacked the BJP government, especially Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, before pitching Mamata Banerjee's name as the head of the next government in Delhi. "We need a Bengali Prime Minister in Delhi now and for that, we need all 42 Lok Sabha seats from Bengal."