Amit Shah Sounds Poll Bugle In Bengal As Infiltration Charge Sparks Mamata Counterattack

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has kicked off the BJP’s campaign for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections with a fierce attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her government of facilitating illegal infiltration from Bangladesh to protect vote-bank politics. Shah claimed the demographic balance of Bengal has been deliberately altered and alleged that the TMC has stalled border fencing by refusing land along the international border. Mamata Banerjee hit back strongly, questioning the Centre’s narrative and holding the BJP-led government responsible for border security lapses. She also accused the BJP of turning the Special Intensive Revision exercise into a scam and targeting Bengalis across the country. As infiltration emerges as the core election flashpoint, the battle for Bengal has well and truly begun.