Mamata Banerjee on Friday directly responded to Narendra Modi’s psychological warfare tactics by declaring she would not contest from anywhere other than Nandigram, where polling had been held 24 hours earlier.

In what was seen as an attempt at sapping the morale of the Trinamul ranks, Modi had said on Thursday while voting was on that Mamata would lose from Nandigram and that there were rumours that she would contest from another Assembly seat too.

Responding swiftly at a public meeting in north Bengal, Mamata asked Modi on Friday: “Why are you saying all this? Do I belong to your party that you would control me? I will win from Nandigram and will not contest from anywhere else.”

Her statement was greeted with loud cheers from the audience.

The Trinamul chief addressed another alleged ploy to wear her down. Mamata said the election schedule had been structured to suit the BJP’s political interests and restrict her movements so she could not campaign extensively.

“But that will not happen.… I was in Nandigram this morning and I went from there to Calcutta, then to Bagdogra and then I came here to address you in Cooch Behar. From here I will go to Alipurduar and then return to Calcutta.… Tomorrow I will be in South 24-Parganas. You cannot restrict me,” Mamata said.

Although the election is over in Nandigram, the seat remained firmly on the political centre stage with both Mamata and the BJP focusing their energies on predicting the outcome there.

Mamata said she would win from Nandigram and that her party was in a favourable position in the first two phases of the elections, countering the narrative propagated by Amit Shah and other BJP leaders that the Trinamul talisman would lose.

Shah, the Union home minister and the BJP’s key election manager, has been claiming on campaign trail that his party would bag more than 50 of the 60 seats that have voted so far, and that Mamata herself would taste defeat.

Shah at Baruipur Paschim in South 24-Parganas on Friday PTI

Both Mamata and Shah were in north Bengal on Friday to launch their parties’ campaigns in the region, which has 54 Assembly seats. Mamata spoke at three public meetings in Cooch Behar and Alipurduar while Shah addressed two in these same districts.

“I thank the residents of Nandigram for their support. The elections are in progress and so far, things have been in our favour. Let me make it very clear that Trinamul will make a comeback with 200-plus seats,” the chief minister told a rally in Dinhata, Cooch Behar.

Trinamul leaders believe the election roster has been designed to ensure that seats where the BJP is confident of doing well would vote in the first two phases of the eight-leg polls. This would give the BJP the opportunity to create an impression of impending victory and influence voters.

Lending credence to the perception, Shah on Friday predicted defeat for Mamata and painted a rosy picture for his party.

“She will lose from Nandigram…. Of the 60 seats where elections have been held, we will win more than 50,” he told a gathering at Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar. He repeated the claim in Kalchini, Alipurduar.

After the first phase, too, Shah had sung the same tune, asserting that the BJP would pocket 26 of the 30 seats.

In Dinhata, Mamata rubbished Shah’s claim and accused the Union home minister of using the central forces to vitiate the poll process in favour of the BJP.

“I have respect for the central forces, but they have been instructed to favour the BJP in the elections.... I am telling the Prime Minister to control the home minister,” she said.

The chief minister repeatedly referred to how the BJP government’s policies had made life difficult for ordinary people, highlighting the fuel price hikes and the contentious farm laws.

“I am here to seek your votes because I have done things for you. Tell me, what have they done?” Mamata asked, before pitching herself as the candidate in all the 291 seats that Trinamul is contesting.

“Consider me as the candidate and vote.… Please keep in mind that they have a lot of money and will try to buy off traitors even after the elections. So, I need 200-plus seats to run the next government and keep delivering what you want,” Mamata said.

She urged the people to be cautious and resist the BJP’s attempts to rig the polls by deploying outsiders.

“We fear that after the elections are over in Assam, they might try to bring anti-socials to these areas. We have to thwart all such attempts by the BJP,” she said.