While Mamata targeted Modi in Delhi, her party leader asked cadres to ‘steal’ votes in Bengal

Kolkata, Feb 14: At a time when the chief minister of West Bengal and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee is busy attending an anti-Narendra Modi rally in New Delhi giving a clarion call to remove the current prime minister in the upcoming Lok Sabha election, one of his party strongmen did something unique back in the state.

Anubrata Mandal, one of the party's grassroots strongmen who often make the headlines for issuing controversial statements, including open threats, advised the party workers to "steal" votes during the upcoming general election.

Mandal, who is the president of Birbhum unit of the TMC, said this at a workers' event at Purandarpur in the district.

He asked the cadres to have close relation with the people and assess the voters' viewpoints and if they harboured unfavourable feelings for the state's ruling party, Mondal asked the party workers to "make them understand" and if required, ensure that their votes come to the TMC.

Mondal also asked the party's machinery to double the TMC's lead from that of the 2016 Assembly elections (from 15,000 to 30,000) and made the workers promise to make it happen.

He also joked that the party's booth leaders know "how to press the button" and hence there should not be any problem for them in meeting the target.

Birbhum district has two Lok Sabha seats - Birbhum and Bolpur. Both were won by the TMC in the 2014 election. While actor-politician Satabdi Roy won from Birbhum by over 67,000 votes, Anupam Hazra won from Bolpur, a reserved seat, by over 2 lakh votes.