Rekha Patra, the BJP's Basirhat candidate, kicked off her election campaign on Wednesday from Sandeshkhali and reached out to her co-fighters, who were part of the movement on the remote island against Trinamul's alleged atrocities.

"I received an overwhelming reception on my home turf from hundreds of people, including women. I met all those who were part of our movement against the Trinamul atrocities. The love and blessings they showered on me today were enough to understand that Basirhat is with us," said Patra, who launched her campaign a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to her over the phone and described her as Shakti Swaroopa.

BJP leaders consider that fielding the young protesting woman face from Sandeshkhali is a masterstroke by the party to corner Mamata Banerjee government over atrocities on women. In the 2021 Assembly polls, women voted in large numbers for the Trinamul to help it sweep the elections.

Patra, who was among the women to lead the movement against alleged atrocities by arrested Trinamul strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides like Shiba Prasad Hazara and Uttam Sardar, reached Sandeshkhali on Wednesday morning.

Around 500 women received her by blowing conch shells and showering flower petals on her as soon as she reached Sandeshkhali ferry-ghat on a motorised boat.

Anup Kumar Das, a senior BJP leader from Sandeshkhali, said that she spent her first day of the campaign with her co-fighters and ensured that she would take the Sandeshkhali movement forward to wipe out Trinamul's reign of terror that prevailed in the remote villages before arrest of Shahjahan.

"She spent most of her campaign time with her co-fighters in Sandeshkhali. She urged them to ensure victory in the election where the people of Sandeshkhali assured her to be with her in the electoral battle," said Das.

She offered puja at two temples on the island before meeting the people of Sandeshkhali — the ground zero of the protest, that hit the headlines and became a national issue against the ruling Trinamul Congress.

After visiting various places in Sandeshkhali for over two-and-a-half hours, Rekha did not forget to meet those who were with her from the first day of the protest.

"I am one among four or five who were with Rekha. I also accompanied her when she went to lodge a police complaint against the atrocious Trinamul leader. I am very happy that she came to my doorstep to meet me. We all vowed to be a part of her election battle and ensure her triumph," said a co-fighter of Rekha.

On a day when the BJP candidate launched her campaign from Sandeshkhali, Trinamul took out a big procession in support of its candidate Haji Nurul Islam, in Sarberia, the stronghold of the arrested Trinamul leader Shahjahan.

A BJP source said Rekha reported some illness later in the day of her first campaign and was admitted to Kalyani-AIIMS.