Bengal: BJP reschedules 'rath yatra' to be led by Amit Shah to December 5

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has postponed a “rath yatra”, to be led by party chief Amit Shah, in West Bengal by two days. This is in lieu of the Assembly election campaigns in the other states, sources said. The "yatra" will now commence from the temple town of Tarapith on December 5 instead of the scheduled December 3.

BJP state general secretary Sayantan Basu said Shah will now kick off the “yatra” on December 5, instead of December 3, from Tarapith in Birbhum. The “yatra” will be taken to all the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state — three chariots covering 14 seats each — he added.

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Sharing the programme details, Basu told PTI, “The first rally will begin from Birbhum on December 5. The second and third rallies will start from Coochbehar district in the north and Gangasagar in the south on December 7 and 9 respectively. Amit Shahji will be present at all the three rallies.”

The tableaus will stop at various places for public meetings and interactions, Basu said.

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At the conclusion of the “yatra”, the party has planned to hold a massive rally in Kolkata, which was likely to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he added.

Sources said that the decision to take out the “rath yatra” was taken during Shah’s two-day visit to the state in June.