However, countering Shah, West Bengal Minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already created ‘Sonar Bangla’.
#WATCH | On Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Kolkata, West Bengal Minister and Kolkata Mayor, Firhad Hakim says, “It is like birds which come and go. But here, it was Mamata di, and it is Mamata di who will remain. Mamata Banerjee has already made the state ‘Sonar… pic.x.com/dlrQUuiHYd
— ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2025
Taking a dig at him, West Bengal Minister Bratya Basu said he could pray for the BJP to come to power only after the 2031 elections. “He has come here to inaugurate some Pujas. He should observe how CM Mamata Banerjee is conducting the celebrations in a disciplined manner and how the people of Bengal are participating. I think he will take a lesson from it and implement it in Gujarat and UP.”
Meanwhile, Shah also extended condolences to the families of those who lost their lives due to rainfall and electrocution at the start of the Durga Puja festivities. On the deaths of 10 people, he said that all BJP workers stand by the families of the bereaved.
“I also paid my tributes to the educationist and reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. His contributions to education, particularly women’s education, will not be forgotten,” he added.
| Home Minister @AmitShah inaugurates ‘Operation Sindoor’ themed #DurgaPuja pandal in Bengal, extends greetings, pays tribute to #IshwarChandraVidyasagar, and prays for the formation of a ‘Sonar Bangla’ government. #TheStatesman pic.x.com/HzWQNFdKf0 — The Statesman (@TheStatesmanLtd) September 26, 2025
Following his West Bengal visit, Amit Shah will travel to Bihar for a two-day tour, during which he will participate in multiple organisational meetings to prepare the party for the upcoming Assembly elections. He is scheduled for a closed-door meeting with BJP workers in Bettiah. This is part of a series of review meetings around the Dehri-on-Sone and Begusarai zones.
The BJP’s state unit has divided Bihar into five zones to ensure region-specific outreach and mobilisation.
Shah will also attend a high-level strategy meet at the BJP state office in Patna in which Bihar BJP leaders, state secretaries, and organisational members from other states assigned to oversee the election campaign will also be present.
On September 27, Shah will participate in another zonal meeting with party workers in Sarayranjan, followed by addressing a large gathering of party workers in Forbesganj.
Amit Shah’s visit is aimed at energising party workers and finalising election strategies ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls.