"Women in West Bengal are not safe at all": Delhi CM Rekha Gupta slams Mamata Banerjee

Ahead of the polling in West Bengal, Rekha Gupta said that people have decided to elect a BJP government for "respectable and fearless governance".

"As the voting date approaches, our belief grows stronger that every single resident of Bengal who was living in fear and oppression has decided to form a BJP government and when the results come on May 4th, it will bring respectable and fearless governance, with trustworthy and development-oriented politics," she said.

"Hooliganism is rampant in the state, and every woman is afraid to step out of her home. And even if she does, the CM questions her, whether it's the RG Kar case or any other incident. Even under a woman CM, women in the state are not safe at all. Corruption is rampant in the state... The mafia is involved in every sector here... The big question is: why should we vote for the TMC again?" she added.

Earlier, BJP candidate from Kharagpur Sadar Assembly constituency Dilip Ghosh exuded confidence on party victory in the West Bengal polls, stating that the ruling Trinamool Congress's "departure is ensured".

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Dilip Ghosh said, "The time has come for TMC to go... Now Mamata Banerjee has nothing in her hands. Their departure is ensured".

Ghosh also said that the deployment of central forces at the booth has assured people to exercise their right to vote without intimidation from TMC goons.

"If the booths come under the control of central forces, people will go to vote without worry because here the police, along with the goons, intimidate people," he said.

The upcoming elections follow the 2021 battle, where the TMC secured a landslide 213 seats. However, the BJP's growth from a minor player to 77 seats in the last cycle has set the stage for the current high-stakes confrontation. West Bengal is set for two phases of assembly polls on April 23 and 29, with the results set for May 4. (ANI)