Denied rally nod, Didi sits at tea stall, meets voters
Times of India | 22 April 2026
Kolkata: CM Mamata Banerjee sat down at a roadside tea stall in Collins Lane on Tuesday, and spoke to locals, after the EC didn't allow her to take out a rally in the area. The rally had to be cancelled at the eleventh hour after an EC representative told TMC the rally couldn't be taken out since there was no online application on behalf of the party.
At 6.10 pm, Banerjee entered Collins Lane and was preparing to start the rally when the EC instruction was read out to her. As she sat down at the stall, locals gathered in large numbers. The CM had a cup of tea and interacted with voters for 20 minutes.
"TMC had applied through Suvidha portal but later withdrew. They sought offline permission. But the EC doesn't allow offline applications," CEO Manoj Agarwal clarified.