Parivartan Yatra to end with PM’s rally in Kolkata today, campaign a huge success: BJP

A day ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s much-anticipated visit to West Bengal to provide a push for the high-voltage Assembly polls, Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) State president Samik Bhattacharya said that the Parivartan Yatra was a massive success across the State in the last fortnight.

“The 5000-km yatra has touched 237 Assembly constituencies, and more than 10 lakh people have welcomed it,” Mr. Bhattacharya said on Friday. The rally will mark the culmination of the Parivartan Yatra.

The Rajya Sabha MP also claimed that across West Bengal, BJP karykartas (workers) have been attacked, some reportedly protesting the implementation of special intensive revision (SIR). But asserted that his party had remained unflinched and that: “People of West Bengal have decided, “jotoi koro hamla BJP jitbe Bangla. (no matter how much you attack, BJP will win in Bengal).”

‘Historic address’

On Saturday, Mr. Modi is set to address the public in Kolkata’s Brigade ground. This is the PM’s first address in Kolkata before the election, and is likely to attract thousands of supporters.

“This is going to be a historic public address. This is the first Brigade meeting by any political party ahead of the 2026 elections,” former BJP State president Sukanta Majumdar said. He also added that people from across north to south Bengal are expected to attend the event.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh claimed that the Parivartan Yatras were a total “flop”. “There are no people in these rallies and meetings. Parivartan Yatra cars are moving at high speed because there are no people on the roads to stop for,” Mr. Ghosh quipped.

The yatra, which started on March 1 across multiple districts, was an outreach programme by the BJP workers and leaders before the Assembly polls. Keenly fought as the election would be, top leaders like Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, addressed individual public rallies as part of the yatra.