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Bengal Elections 2026: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief, Mamata Banerjee, brought 'Khela Hobe' (Game is on) rhetoric to the ongoing campaign for the upcoming state assembly elections, scheduled to be held in two phases - April 23 and 29. Speaking to reporters, Banerjee asserted that it is important to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) so that it never stands up again in the state, and there will be a big 'khela' this time.

Launching a scathing attack on the BJP, she accused the saffron party of land grabs, deleting voter names, and indulging in divisive politics, and vowed to ensure it never regains strength in the state. She further added, "BJP is doing what the CPI(M) used to do. Names have been deleted by looking at the names. I approached the Supreme Court."

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Referring to the party's role in West Bengal's history, Banerjee said, "When Bengal was participating in the freedom struggle, the BJP was not even born. They are looting our money and lying. They go out with guns on Ram Navami."


How 'Khela Hobe' Rhetoric Became A Warcry For TMC

'Khela Hobe' rhetoric became the TMC's most popular and effective slogan in the 2021 elections. “I keep telling BJP, don’t mess with me. If you want to play khela with me, you have no idea what game I will play. In my ‘khela’, you can’t catch me or come close to me," she said while addressing a gathering a few months ago. During the 2021 poll campaigns, the BJP pushed the Hindutva agenda with the "Jai Shri Ram" slogan, and to counter it TMC brought the 'Khela Hobe' slogan, unofficial battle cry, which largely worked in favour of the ruling party.

ALSO READ: 'Voter Hijacking': Mamata Banerjee Writes To EC, Accuses BJP Of Flooding Bengal CEO's Office

Powerful Optic Poll Campaign On Wheelchair

In March 2021, Mamata, on a wheelchair, led rallies against the BJP, reverberating the 'khela hobe' war cry. She suffered leg injuries while campaigning in Nandigram. She resumed her poll campaign a few days after her injury. She led a rally in a wheelchair from the Gandhi Statue on Mayo Road to the Hazra Crossing, resorting to optic politics. Banerjee, with a plaster cast on her leg, succeeded in linking 'khela hobe' with the Bengali pride.

Khela Hobe vs Khela Shesh Hobe

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a poll rally in Purulia ahead of the polls, responded to Banerjee with the same rhymes, saying: "Didi, O Didi - you played for 10 years. Khela shesh hobe, vikas aarambh hobe. (Now your game will be over, and development will begin."

(With Agencies Inputs)


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