Sunday special: Catla and candidates, ahead of final poll phase Calcutta sees enthusiastic campaigns
Telegraph | 27 April 2026
Political parties across the spectrum stepped up their outreach on Sunday, starting early, skipping the afternoon break and campaigning till late evening.
In the evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Mamata Banerjee held roadshows in the city, capping a day of intense campaigning.
Calcutta will vote on Wednesday, when 152 seats across seven districts go to the polls. Campaigning for the second phase will end at 6pm on Monday.
“With only a day left in between, we tried to maximise our campaign on Sunday,” said a BJP leader in Calcutta South.
Trinamool’s Chowringhee candidate Nayana Bandyopadhyay began her campaign at 9.30am, visiting Baithakkhana market and other bazaars, and also going door to door.
“We scheduled the market visit for the last Sunday before the elections so the candidate could connect with a large number of voters. With only two days left for polling, it also reinforces the message she is trying to convey,” said Monalisa Banerjee, Trinamool councillor from Ward 49, who accompanied Bandyopadhyay.
Her party colleague and candidate from neighbouring Shyampukur, Shashi Panja, went door-to-door on Sunday morning. Many residents were surprised to see the minister and incumbent MLA at their doors seeking re-election.
Down south in Kasba, BJP candidate Sandip Banerjee started his day at 5am, interacting with voters at Siddhartha Shankar Ray Smriti Udyan, a park where elderly morning walkers often gather for conversations after their walks.
After a meet-and-greet there, BJP candidate Sandip Banerjee set out for a door-to-door campaign.
The stops were Talbagan and other neighbourhoods along Bosepukur Road. A motorcycle rally was organised in Ward 108, from Ruby General Hospital to the interiors of Anandapur.
Over 50 party workers riding with BJP flags followed Banerjee. “We have organised the motorcycle rally for visibility. There will be a ban on such rallies from Monday,” said Debashis Nath, a BJP worker.
The CPM’s Ballygunge candidate Afreen Begum, already famous in many quarters for her sharp and incisive campaigning, also advanced her campaign schedule, starting at 8.30am.
“We want to make the most of Sunday. This is the only full day left. Today we are visiting areas we could not cover earlier,” Afreen said.
Party workers said she planned to cover at least five wards on Sunday, compared with three to four on other days.
Many Left supporters accompanying her said small group interactions were being prioritised over large gatherings. Arpan Naskar, 26, a volunteer in her campaign, said they had been assigned specific neighbourhoods to avoid overlap and ensure wider coverage.
In the evening, Mamata and Modi stepped up the campaign tempo, raising the pitch a few notches higher. Mamata held a roadshow in Bhabanipur. She also conducted small street-side meetings at multiple locations of the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency. “Don’t stoop before anyone.
Mothers and sisters must take the lead in voting peacefully. We have already scored a century and will score a double century after the second phase. Even during the CPM tenure, they could not beat me from Calcutta South.
If you (the BJP) try to intimidate us, we will fight it out,” she said in one of the street-corner meetings. The Prime Minister visited Thanthania Kali Temple in north Calcutta and then set out on a roadshow from BK Pal Avenue to the Khanna crossing.