Kolkata: Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday said BJP would aim to win all 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal in the 2029 general election and “gift” them to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Addressing an event at Vadnagar in Gujarat to mark Modi’s completion of 25 years in public office, Adhikari said BJP would make an “all-out” effort to secure all of Bengal’s seats.“Under Modi’s leadership, we will fight all-out to gift him all 42 seats from Bengal in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections,” Adhikari said.Adhikari had cut short his scheduled visit to the hills to travel to Gujarat for the celebrations. The 42/42 target marks a significant escalation from the BJP’s previous Lok Sabha performance in Bengal. The party won 18 seats in 2019, but its tally fell to 12 in 2024.Adhikari also attacked the previous Trinamool govt, alleging that Bengal had lagged for years because of “wrong policies and appeasement politics”. He claimed the state was now witnessing faster development under Modi’s leadership.“Schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Ayushman Bharat are benefiting people across the state,” he said.He alleged that lakhs of Bangladeshi infiltrators had entered India through Bengal during TMC regime and claimed more than three lakh subsequently entered Gujarat. He also alleged that around 600km of the international border remained unfenced as the previous state govt had not provided land to the BSF.According to Adhikari, BJP govt began providing land to the BSF soon after assuming office, with more than 90% of the required land now handed over.He also accused the previous govt of restricting religious events, claiming people had to approach courts for permission to organise Durga Puja and that Ram Navami processions were not permitted.Earlier, Adhikari attended a ‘Seva Jyoti Yatra’ programme at Netaji Indoor Stadium, where he, cabinet ministers and MPs watched the live telecast of Modi’s speech from New Delhi.
