Kolkata: West Bengal BJP is planning to organise six separate ‘Rath Yatras’ in the state this year keeping in mind the elections for the three-tier panchayat system as well as the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Although, top state BJP leaders are unwilling to divulge the details of the plan, sources from the state committee of the party said that this six different ‘Rath Yatras’ are aimed at covering the entire state starting from the hills in North Bengal to the mangrove forests of Sunderbans in South Bengal.
Sources said that the six yatras will be ‘Darjeeling Rath’ covering north Bengal districts of Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts, ‘Gaurbang Rath’ covering parts of Malda, South Dinajpur and North Dinajpur districts, ‘Nabadwip Rath’ covering parts of Murshidabad, Nadia and North 24 Parganas districts, ‘Rarbang Rath’ covering Birbhum, Bankura, Purulia, West Midnapore and Hooghly district, ‘Sunderbans Rath’ covering South 24 Parganas district and finally ‘Kolkata Rath’ covering the entire state capital.
State BJP sources said already they have received the green signals from the party’s state leadership that top leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the party’s national president J.P. Nadda will be visiting the states in the next few months.
“Attempts are on to bring Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath to the state. So we want to convert those occasions into mega events through these Rath Yatras,” said a state BJP leader who did not wish to be named.