New Delhi, Jan 31 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah is in West Bengal on a two-day trip and will visit Siliguri on Saturday for a key political outreach programme, as the party steps up preparations ahead of the upcoming state Assembly elections.

As part of his visit, HM Shah will travel to Siliguri in North Bengal, where an important meeting is scheduled to be held at 3 pm on Saturday at the Gosainpur Airport Authority ground in Bagdogra.

On Saturday, HM Shah is scheduled to address two public rallies-cum-party workers’ conferences. His first programme will take place in the morning at Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas district, an area known as an erstwhile industrial belt. Later in the day, he will address another major rally at Siliguri in Darjeeling district, covering the North Bengal region.

According to BJP sources, workers from four organisational districts or Lok Sabha constituencies — Bangaon, Barasat, Basirhat, and Barrackpore, all located in North 24 Parganas district — will mainly attend the Barrackpore programme. In contrast, party workers from five organisational districts — Siliguri, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, and Cooch Behar — will be present at the Siliguri event.

A member of the BJP state committee said the programmes are aimed at energising grassroots workers and strengthening the party’s organisational base across both North and South Bengal.

This visit marks a shift in focus from HM Shah’s previous tour of the state last month. During his earlier visit, he had concentrated entirely on internal organisational activities, with the only public engagement being a press conference. This time, however, Shah’s priority will be mass outreach programmes, alongside a review of the party’s organisational activities.

The state has witnessed successive high-profile visits this month, beginning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, followed by the BJP’s newly-elected president Nitin Nabin, and now Amit Shah, even before the election dates have been officially announced.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Modi addressed two major political rallies — on January 17 in Malda district and on January 18 at Singur in Hooghly district. Nitin Nabin also undertook a two-day visit from January 27, during which he addressed a public rally at Durgapur in West Burdwan district.

–IANS

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