I Will Stay in Bengal for 15 Days’: Amit Shah Challenges Mamta

Kolkata: Political activity has reached a fever pitch just ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. The polls are witnessing a direct face-off between the ruling TMC and the principal opposition party, the BJP. In this context, Union Home Minister Amit Shah—who arrived in Nandigram for Suvendu Adhikari’s nomination filing—made a major announcement while issuing a direct challenge to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He declared that he would remain in West Bengal continuously for the next 15 days to personally oversee the election campaign.

On Thursday, Amit Shah arrived in Nandigram specifically for Suvendu Adhikari’s nomination filing. While addressing party workers there, he stated, “I intend to stay right here in Bengal for 15 days during these elections. I have come here specifically for Suvendu Adhikari’s nomination. Suvendu’s victory will lay the foundation for change in Bengal.”

‘Didi Will Face Defeat in Bengal’
Launching a direct attack on Mamata Banerjee, Amit Shah remarked that while “Didi” had lost in Nandigram last time, this time she would lose not only Bhabanipur but the entire state of Bengal. He asserted that Suvendu Adhikari’s nomination marks the beginning of the TMC’s downfall in Bengal. Shah emphasized that the people of Nandigram would once again repeat history this time around and show Mamata Banerjee the door out of power.

‘I Have Toured All of Bengal’
Making a bold claim, he stated, “I have toured the entirety of Bengal, and wherever I go, a single voice resonates: ‘Say goodbye to Mamata Banerjee.’ Even before the elections have officially begun, wherever one travels across Bengal, the same sentiment is audible everywhere—that it is time to bid farewell to this government and say goodbye to Mamata Banerjee.”

Raising the pressing issues plaguing the state, the Home Minister noted that the people of Bengal are utterly fed up with the TMC’s extortion rackets and hooliganism. The youth, in particular, are distressed by the rampant unemployment and the frequent bomb blasts occurring almost daily. The recurring bomb explosions across the state have completely shattered the security infrastructure. He alleged that the TMC government has provided patronage to infiltrators, thereby altering the state’s demographics.

Shah promised the youth that, upon the formation of a BJP government, unemployment would be eradicated and a new wave of development ushered in, enabling Bengal to reclaim its former identity.