PM Modi’s first poll rally in Bengal moved to Cooch Behar, Alipurduar event cancelled

The venue for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first campaign rally ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections has been changed, with the Bharatiya Janata Party now shifting the April 5 event from Alipurduar to Cooch Behar. The Prime Minister is scheduled to address a public meeting at the Ras Mela Ground on the same day, marking the formal start of his election campaign in the state.

No official reason has been provided for the cancellation of the originally planned Alipurduar rally. However, the revised plan places greater focus on North Bengal, a region that has gained strategic importance for the BJP in recent years. The party has seen strong electoral performances here since 2019, making it a key battleground in the first phase of polling.

Following the April 5 rally, the Prime Minister is scheduled to return to West Bengal on April 10 for a roadshow in Siliguri. The move signals an intensified campaign push in North Bengal, where all constituencies will go to polls in the first phase on April 23, ahead of the second phase on April 29.

Modi had earlier addressed a major rally at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground on March 14, just a day before the election schedule was announced. With the campaign now set to begin from Cooch Behar, political focus shifts to how the BJP consolidates its position in the region during the early phase of the elections.