TMC, BJP supporters clash during campaign in West Bengal’s Hooghly; FIR lodged

NEW DELHI: Supporters of the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party clashed during an election campaign on Friday in the Hooghly district of West Bengal, news agency ANI reported.Biman Ghosh, BJP's candidate from the Pursurah Assembly constituency, alleged that four party workers sustained minor injuries in the incident. He also said that a FIR is being filed at the local police station. Speaking to ANI, Ghosh accused TMC workers of disrupting the campaign and warned of a strong electoral outcome for the BJP. He said, "They (the TMC members) were creating a ruckus during the election campaign; they, too, must realise what awaits them after the 4th, when a BJP 'tsunami' sweeps across Bengal. It would be best for them to mend their ways before it is too late. Four of our workers have sustained minor injuries, and we are filing an FIR at the police station".The incident comes at a time when campaigning has intensified ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, with both parties trading sharp political attacks.Earlier on Friday, the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP engaged in a war of words over the BJP’s recently released Bengal Sankalp Patra. The document, themed around “Sonar Bangla” (Golden Bengal), outlines a proposed shift in governance, with a focus on national security, youth employment and women’s safety.Launching the manifesto in Kolkata, Union home minister Amit Shah described it as a roadmap to transform governance in the state and align it with the broader vision of a “Viksit Bharat”.Shah also criticised the Trinamool Congress government, alleging that 15 years of its rule had resulted in a breakdown of law and order and widespread public dissatisfaction. He said the manifesto aimed to bring “every section of Bengal out of despair” and offer “a new way forward for farmers surrounded by fear”.He further claimed that people in the state were “frightened and disillusioned” and were seeking change, reiterating that the BJP’s governance model aligns with the vision of national development.Polling for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be conducted in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with counting scheduled for May 4.