States » EastPosted at: Oct 12 2026 6:52PM


WB CM Suvendu seeks ‘triple-engine’ BJP sweep in Kolkata, Howrah civic polls

Kolkata, Oct 12 (UNI) West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday sought a BJP sweep in the upcoming Kolkata and Howrah Municipal Corporations' elections, asking voters to turn the party's existing "double-engine" government into a "triple-engine" administration at the civic level.
"At the Prime Minister's call, you gave us a double-engine government. At the Chief Minister's call, we now have to give a triple-engine government. Will you give us Howrah and Kolkata? Standing on the streets of Kolkata, I am appealing to you with both hands outstretched — will you give us Howrah and Kolkata?" Adhikari said.
He was addressing a BJP victory meeting in central Kolkata after thousands of party workers and supporters took part in a victory procession celebrating the party's wins in the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly by-elections.
The procession began at the BJP's state headquarters at Muralidhar Sen Lane and proceeded through central Kolkata towards Dharmatala, where the meeting was held. Thousands of BJP workers and supporters walked in the procession, carrying party flags and raising slogans.
Before taking the dais at Dharmatala, Adhikari and other senior BJP leaders paid floral tributes and offered their respects at the statue of educationist and jurist Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee at Chowringhee Square. The Grade I heritage-listed statue stands at Chowringhee Square, in front of Victoria House a stone's throw away from The Statesman House.
The rally followed the BJP's victories in both by-elections, with the party seeking to project the results as evidence of an expansion in its support base ahead of the forthcoming civic contests.
Adhikari also launched a sharp attack on Aam Janata Unnayan Party chairman and MLA Humayun Kabir over his controversial remarks during the Rejinagar campaign.
"He had said he would float 30 per cent in the waters of the Bhagirathi. Now he himself is drowning in water up to his nose and in his own tears," Adhikari said.
Kabir had won both Naoda and Rejinagar in the 2026 Assembly elections but subsequently relinquished the Rejinagar seat in accordance with the rules. His son then contested the by-election from the constituency as an Am Janata Unnayan Party candidate.
During campaigning in Rejinagar, Kabir had said he would "cut Hindus and float them away in the waters of the Bhagirathi", triggering a political controversy in West Bengal.
Rejinagar has around 70 per cent Muslim and 30 per cent Hindu voters. Despite the constituency's electoral arithmetic, Kabir's son lost the by-election, with BJP candidate Shankar Sarkar defeating him by more than 75,000 votes.
Kabir, anticipating defeat, announced his retirement from politics even before the results were declared and subsequently broke down in tears.
Adhikari returned to the episode in his speech, saying, "He had said he would float 30 per cent in the waters of the Bhagirathi. Now he himself is drowning in water up to his nose and in his own tears."
The Chief Minister said the Rejinagar result had also shattered what he described as a "myth" that the BJP could not win minority votes.
"The minorities have seen that Modi's victory chariot is moving forward even without their votes. That is why they too are voting for the BJP to remain in the mainstream," he said.
Adhikari said the result demonstrated that the BJP could attract support beyond its traditional electoral base and claimed that minorities were increasingly seeking to remain in the "mainstream" under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.
The BJP leader also attacked the Trinamool Congress over statements made by some of its leaders on religious issues, while asserting that there would be no politics in BJP-linked Durga Puja celebrations.
"There will be no politics in our pujas. I had already said this in the Rajya Sabha," he said.
Adhikari claimed that the BJP government had fulfilled around 40 per cent of the commitments made in its Sankalp Patra within five-and-a-half months and said the government was working towards greater investment, employment generation and women's security.
He also declared that those who remained outside the political "mainstream" would become isolated, while calling for the BJP to consolidate its position across the state.
"We have only one path and one song — the Bharatiya Janata Party, with Narendra Modi as its leader. There is only one slogan: Bharat Mata ki Jai. Vande Mataram," he said.
UNI SEN RSA
Tags: #WB CM Suvendu seeks ‘triple-engine’ BJP sweep in Kolkata# Howrah civic polls
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