Bengal to witness clash of titans as Mamata and Amit Shah to address rallies in same district Thursday

A head-to-head political battlewill play out on Thursday in Kolkata's neighbouring South 24Parganas district where Home Minister Amit Shah and WestBengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are scheduled to addressrallies separated by some distance.

It is for the first time in the run up to the assemblyelections that Banerjee and Shah will be holding rallies inthe same district and more or less at the same time in theafternoon.

Shah is scheduled to arrive in Bengal tonight on atwo-day visit starting from Thursday.

He is scheduled to visit Kakdwip area near SagarIsland in South 24 Parganas district, where he will flag offthe final leg of the five phases Parivartan Yatra of the BJPin the state.

''He will arrive in Kolkata tonight. On Thursday hewill visit Kapil Muni Ashram. From there he will go toNamkhana where he will address Poribartan Yatra,'' a seniorstate BJP leader said Wednesday.

Shah is also scheduled to have lunch at the residenceof a migrant labourer and later take part in a roadshow, hesaid.

Meanwhile, Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee,who is also the local party MP, is slated to address a partyworkers meeting at Pailan in South 24 Parganas on Thursday.

''It will be a politically important day tomorrow. BothShah and Didi will address rallies in the same district,'' asenior South 24 Parganas TMC leader said.

After having a limited presence in politicallypolarised Bengal for decades, BJP has emerged as the mainrival of the ruling Trinamool Congress after winning 18 of the42 Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2019 general elections,only four less than the TMC tally of 22.

With the BJP's strength increasing in the state in thelast few years, its leaders are upbeat that the party will beable to end Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's 10-year rule inthe state polls.

Election to the 294-member state Assembly is expectedin April-May this year.