Kolkata, 24 February (H.S.):
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is launching its much-anticipated Parivartan Yatra in West Bengal on March 1st, ahead of this year's assembly elections. The party is employing a large-scale demonstration of strength by deploying its central leadership. At least eight Union ministers and national-level leaders will arrive in the state within 48 hours.
The Yatra will be held in nine of the ten organizational divisions in the state. Only the Kolkata Metropolitan Division has been excluded, where a large public rally will be held at Brigade Grounds. The Yatra will begin on March 1st in Cooch Behar, Krishnanagar, Kulti, Garhbeta, and Raidighi. The Yatra will commence on March 2nd in Islampur, Hassan, Sandeshkhali, and Amta. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will flag off the Parivartan Yatra from Raidighi on March 1st. Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda will inaugurate the Yatra from Krishnanagar on the same day. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will launch the Yatra from Amta on March 2nd.
National President Nitin Naveen will be in North Bengal for both days and will inaugurate the Yatra on March 1st from Cooch Behar and on March 2nd from Islampur. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will flag off the Yatra from Garhbeta, while Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi will flag off the Yatra from Kulti. On March 2nd, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will flag off the Yatra from Hassan, and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will flag off the Yatra from Sandeshkhali.
The Yatra will be held in nine of the ten organizational divisions of the state. Only the Kolkata Metropolitan Division has been excluded, where a large public meeting will be held at the Brigade Grounds at the conclusion. The Yatra will begin on March 1st from Cooch Behar, Krishnanagar, Kulti, Garhbeta, and Raidighi. On March 2nd, the Yatra will commence from Islampur, Hassan, Sandeshkhali, and Amta. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will flag off the Parivartan Yatra from Raidighi on March 1st. Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda will inaugurate the Yatra from Krishnanagar on the same day. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will launch the Yatra from Amta on March 2nd.
Earlier, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari led the chargesheet presentation program in Raidighi, releasing a document of demands and grievances related to the Mathurapur, Jaynagar, and Diamond Harbour organizational districts. Similar programs were held across the state, attended by several leaders including Mithun Chakraborty, Agnimitra Pal, Abhijit Gangopadhyay, Soumendu Adhikari, Dilip Ghosh, and Rudranil Ghosh.
A senior BJP state committee leader said on Tuesday that unlike the 2021 assembly elections, when the party emphasized large-scale defection programs, such events have been avoided this time. The Parivartan Yatra is being presented as a show of strength by the top leadership and a formal launch of the 2026 election campaign.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey
