Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency: With the State Assembly Elections (West Bengal Assembly Election 2026) on the horizon, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee is set to hit the campaign trail starting next week. Her election campaign will officially commence this Sunday with a workers' meeting held in Chetla, Kolkata. The event is expected to be attended by the party's All-India General Secretary, Abhishek Banerjee; Firhad Hakim; and councilors from the Bhabanipur constituency.
From this very workers' meeting in Chetla, the Trinamool leader may deliver the initial message regarding the party's electoral strategy. According to political observers, this meeting could offer indications as to how the campaign's direction will be charted, particularly in relation to the opposition camp.
According to Trinamool sources, Mamata will head towards North Bengal immediately after the Chetla meeting. She is likely to hold public rallies in Cooch Behar and Alipurduar on March 25. A rally is also scheduled for the following day in Chalsa. In essence, the ruling party aims to accelerate the momentum of its statewide campaign by launching it from North Bengal.
Meanwhile, Abhishek Banerjee is also set to begin his campaign this Tuesday. Starting March 24, he will hold public rallies across various parts of South Bengal. His first engagement is scheduled for Patharpratima. Subsequently, he has a series of rallies lined up in West Medinipur—specifically in Daspur, Keshiary, and Narayangarh. Once again, the Trinamool Congress is focusing special attention on Nandigram; this is because the Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, is contesting from this very constituency again this time around. In the previous Assembly elections, it was in Nandigram that Suvendu defeated Mamata Banerjee. Consequently, political tensions surrounding this constituency remain at a fever pitch this time as well.
For the '26 elections, the Trinamool Congress has fielded Pabitra Kar as its candidate in Nandigram. According to a section of the party, this choice of candidate is not merely a political move, but a strategic one as well—primarily because Pabitra was once known to be a close associate of Suvendu. The Trinamool leadership believes that this move is an attempt to shake the very foundations of the opposition camp.
Just this Friday, the Trinamool Congress released its election manifesto for the '26 polls. At the very heart of this manifesto lie "Didi's 10 Pledges." Multiple financial and social pledges have been made for people from almost all walks of life—women, youth, farmers, and ordinary families alike. Simultaneously, the ruling party has ratcheted up its political rhetoric by leveling allegations of 'deprivation' against the Central government. Mamata Banerjee has asserted that, over the past 15 years, a new model of development has emerged in Bengal; this new package of pledges is designed to sustain that very momentum.
All things considered—with Mamata touring North Bengal on one front and Abhishek holding rallies across South Bengal on the other—the Trinamool Congress is plunging into its election campaign from both directions. The ruling party's primary objective right now is to revitalize its organizational machinery and effectively disseminate its message ahead of the elections.