The Trinamul Congress has claimed that over around 90 per cent of the land in Sandeshkhali, allegedly grabbed by local Trinamul leaders, had been handed to the rightful owners.

This claim came on Sunday, on the eve of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s scheduled visit to the island that had been mired in controversy following allegations against local Trinamul leaders such as (now suspended) Shahjahan Sheikh and his aides, of land-grab and sexual harassment of women.

Mamata is set to visit the island for the first time since the controversies erupted in February this year and made national headlines in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls in summer.

North 24-Parganas district officials were found working tirelessly to complete the land restoration process ahead of the chief minister’s arrival on Monday.

Many of the seized lands had been illegally converted into fisheries.

The political atmosphere in Sandeshkhali has heated up in the last days of the year with consecutive public rallies by the Trinamool and the BJP.

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari is set to address a gathering the day after the chief minister’s visit, as part of his “Jana Sanjog Yatra”, a move seen as a counter-strategy to bolster his party’s presence in the region.

The island, comprising 16 village panchayats, became a battleground during the Lok Sabha elections as the BJP leveraged the allegations against Trinamool leaders to amplify its campaign.

Despite Trinamul’s electoral victory in the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat, under which Sandeshkhali falls, the party has faced ongoing challenges, including internal rivalries, unresolved land disputes and accusations of fostering a climate of fear.

While delayed, Mamata’s scheduled visit on Monday aims to address grievances, stress her government’s commitment to development, and counter the BJP’s narrative of Trinamool neglect and atrocities.

“There were some problems on the island. Some people exploited their political identity. But once the allegations came to the party’s notice, strict action was taken. The leadership ensured that the grabbed lands were returned to their rightful owners,” said Sukumar Mahato, Trinamool MLA from Sandeshkhali.

Mahato added: “Over 90 per cent of the seized lands have been restored. The administration, under the Chief Minister’s directive, set up camps across the island to address complaints. So far, around 95 per cent of the complaints have been resolved.”

A senior official noted that they had received around 600 land-grab complaints apart from some through Calcutta High Court.

“While critical cases remain unresolved, significant progress has been made,” he said.

During an election rally in Basirhat on May 21, Mamata had promised to visit Sandeshkhali.

“After (Trinamool candidate) Haji Nurul Islam wins the Lok Sabha polls, I will visit Sandeshkhali within a few days,” she declared. The TMC replaced Basirhat MP Nusrat Jahan with veteran leader Islam, who won by a margin of over 3 lakhs against the BJP’s Rekha Patra, billed by the saffron camp as the “face of Sandeshkhali”.

Trinamul leaders dismissed many of the allegations as propaganda. “It was a conspiracy by BJP and CPM. The so-called agitation was largely fake, although certain land-grab cases were real. The BJP misled people with cash and false narratives,” said a senior TMC leader.

Trinamul’s Basirhat Lok Sabha observer Sujit Bose added: “The alleged uprising was fuelled by fake narratives. BJP leaders were seen in videos bribing people to fabricate complaints. Despite this, our leadership took swift action against offenders and supported victims.”

A villager agreed that most of the land had been given to them. “Those who grabbed our land have been arrested and most of us have regained our lands, where paddy has been grown this season. Our fight was against specific leaders, not Trinamul as a whole,” said Sujoy Mondal, a leader of the protest movement.

However, BJP’s Adhikari remained defiant. “The chief minister is visiting (Sandeshkhali), but even if she offers lakhs (of rupees), people won’t vote for her,” he said about his rally planned for the following day.

On Monday, Mamata is expected to arrive at Sandeshkhali by chopper. Extensive security arrangements have been made, with 100 CCTV cameras installed around the venue and additional vigilance at boating ghats to manage crowds arriving by boats.