Kolkata: After six months, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will once again kick-start her district tour with an eye on the state assembly polls scheduled in 2021.
The four-day district tour will begin on September 21 as the CM will reach Bagdogra by air. She will hold a series of administrative meetings with senior state government officials and political representatives to take stock of the overall situation, especially in the Covid-hit ‘new normal’.
During her stay in north Bengal, Banerjee will cover five districts meeting officials from districts, such as Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Cooch Behar, Jaipaiguri and Alipurduar.
The timing of Banerjee’s proposed visit to north Bengal district seems interesting, especially in run-up to the high-voltage electoral battle next year, as her party, Trinamool Congress, had failed to win any of the eight Lok Sabha seats in north Bengal.
Out of total eight Lok Sabha seats in the region, seven seats went to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates while only one seat went to the Congress.
The CM’s proposed visit to north Bengal is being seen as a crucial attempt to win back the vote bank in the region that has gone against her government in the last LoK Sabha polls.
According to state government sources, on September 23 and 24, the CM will hold meetings with senior administrative officials and MLAs at Uttarkanya, a new state secretariat building in Siliguri.
On the first day, she will hold meetings with officials from Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar and the next day, meetings will be held with officials from Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Cooch Behar districts.
Banerjee will be stationed in Siliguri during the visit. She will return to Kolkata on September 24 via Bagdogra, sources at the state secretariat Nabanno said.
–IANS
