Amit Shah Sounds 2026 Poll Bugle in Bengal, Vows to Expel Infiltrators; Mamata Hits Back on Terror

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has sounded the poll bugle for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, launching a scathing attack on the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government. Speaking in Kolkata, Shah alleged that the state is plagued by 'corruption, fear, and infiltration' and promised to create a 'strong national grid' to identify and expel illegal immigrants. He asserted that the BJP would restore Bengal's lost glory if voted to power. In a sharp rebuttal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioned the Centre's national security record, citing the recent Pahalgam attack and Delhi blasts. India Today's Indrajit Kundu reports on the escalating war of words as the BJP targets a two-thirds majority in the upcoming polls.