Kolkata, 1 June (H.S.) -Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Kolkata late Saturday night to spearhead the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) preparations for the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal. Braving heavy rain, enthusiastic party workers and leaders welcomed Shah with traditional drums, slogans, and vibrant celebrations at the airport.

Shah's flight landed at around 10:45 PM at the Kolkata airport, where top state BJP leaders including party president Sukanta Majumdar, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, former MP Locket Chatterjee, and MLA Agnimitra Paul were present to receive him. After briefly greeting the assembled supporters outside the airport, Shah proceeded to a hotel near EM Bypass for an overnight stay.

Despite intermittent rain since Saturday evening—ranging from heavy downpours to light drizzles—BJP workers gathered in large numbers, waving party flags and holding garlands. Among the most striking images were women dressed in red-and-white sarees playing traditional dhaak drums, setting a festive atmosphere even before Shah’s arrival.

A packed schedule awaits the Home Minister on Sunday. His key engagement will be an organisational meeting at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, where he will address MPs, MLAs, district presidents, mandal heads, and other senior functionaries of the state BJP. The meeting is expected to focus on strategic planning for the West Bengal Assembly elections, which are approximately ten months away.

Before the stadium event, Shah will inaugurate the new building of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Rajarhat. Following that, he will head straight to the organisational gathering. Later in the day, he is also expected to attend a religious function at the birthplace of Swami Vivekananda. While the event is being kept under wraps, sources suggest that prominent monks and spiritual leaders from various religious institutions have been invited, along with senior BJP leaders from the state.

This is Shah’s first visit to Bengal following recent national developments such as the 'Pahalgam incident' and 'Operation Sindoor'. The visit follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Alipurduar a few days ago, where he lauded the bravery of Indian soldiers and criticized the ruling Trinamool Congress government. Shah’s trip marks the beginning of the next phase of BJP’s ‘Mission Bengal’ campaign.

He is scheduled to return to Delhi on Sunday evening aboard a special BSF aircraft.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh