Chief minister Mamata Banerjee is slated to unveil a number of new projects in the Darjeeling hills and distribute pattas to several residents of the Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts on February 21.

“The chief minister will attend a government programme in Siliguri on February 21. Then, she will inaugurate some projects in the Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts. She will also lay foundation stones for certain projects in the hills and distribute ‘pattas’ (land documents) to the people of the two districts. The chief minister might also attend a separate event that would be organised on the occasion of International Mother Language Day,” said a source in the administration.

The following day, Mamata will take a chopper to Meghalaya to campaign for the Assembly elections. On February 27, elections would be held in the northeastern state.

Her visit comes ahead of panchayat elections.

Observers said in the hills, panchayat elections would be held after 20 years. The Trinamul Congress has the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha as its ally and they want to secure the maximum seats, keeping in mind the general election.

“That is why the strategy has been drawn to play the development card and simultaneously meet longstanding demands like land rights. The rural polls in the hills will be interesting as there are indications that all other hill-based parties will contest,” said an observer.

A senior Trinamul functionary in Siliguri said in north Bengal, as they go out to campaign for the rural polls, they will underscore the development works on one hand while slamming the BJP on the other hand over the issue of separate statehood.

“We have already exerted pressure on the BJP by seeking clarification from the party. The saffron camp hasn’t come up with a direct reply so far. We will refer to it during the campaign while elaborating on the development works. Also, the poor performance of the BJP legislators to work for the region will be highlighted,” the leader said.

Abhishek visits Tripura

Abhishek Banerjee, the all-India general secretary of Trinamul, exhorted the people of Tripura to defeat the BJP to get relief from the price rise while campaigning in the poll-bound state on Friday.

“Prices of fuel were cut by Rs 5 soon after the BJP was defeated in Bengal. Defeat them (BJP), prices will fall...,” Banerjee said.

Tripura will go to the polls on February 16. In the state, Trinamul is contesting in 28 of the 60 seats where the contest will be largely among the Congress-LF combine, BJP– IPFT alliance, and the Tipra Motha, a regional party that is drawing huge crowds in the tribal areas.

Abhishek said the BJP was forced to change its chief minister (Biplab Deb) in 2022 because of Trinamul’s political activities since 2021. “If Bengal can, why can’t Tripura?” he exhorted.

Additional reporting by Umanand Jaiswal in Guwahati