A ‘Banglar Gorbo Mamata’ billboard in Kolkata. (Photo by Partha Paul)

Under its new poll campaign ‘Banglar Gorbo Mamata’ (Bengal’s pride Mamata), the Trinamool Congress has held its first meetings of workers in all 294 Assembly constituencies of the state.

At every constituency, the local MLA and other leaders on Saturday delivered a speech and spelt out their strategy to take on Opposition parties, including BJP, in the civic and Assembly polls to be held in April this year and in 2021.

They told workers to reach out to every household and convince them that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was the only alternative to maintain communal harmony.

On March 2, Banerjee had launched ‘Banglar Gorbo Mamata’ – a brainchild of poll strategist Prashant Kishor. Under the 75-day programme, more than 1 lakh TMC workers will fan out across the state and send the message of her development policies.

The campaign will see workers taking the story of Banerjee’s political journey to each doorstep

TMC’s senior leaders said workers will go to people and media persons to exchange their views and this will continue till March 14, which is termed ‘Jalojoge Jogajog’. The following day, TMC leaders will hold conferences with their senior workers in each constituency and felicitated them for their contribution to the party. One senior TMC leader said, “This is the most important part of the programme. After 2011, many CPM leaders joined our party and were promoted in a short span, which left many senior workers disenchanted. Many of our senior workers either left the TMC or remained inactive. Now, our leadership has told us to reach out to them, bring them back and ensure their active participation. That is the biggest challenge.”

Banerjee in July last year had launched a helpline number and a website as part of another outreach programme on the advice of Kishor, who was appointed by the TMC after its LS reverses.