Mamata Banerjee to address rally today in disgruntled TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari's bastion of East Midnapore

Midnapore: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived in Midnapore on Sunday to address a public rally on 7 December in East Midnapore district, the bastion of disgruntled TMC MLA Suvendu Adhikari. Banerjee had issued a stern warning against “anti-party activities” and asked TMC leaders in touch with the opposition to quit the ruling party. The party supremo had also asked East Midnapore TMC president Sisir Adhikari, who is also Suvendu’s father and an MP, to rein in anti-party activities. Banerjee will hold the rally at the Midnapore College Ground at a time when the rift between the TMC and Suvendu Adhikari widened with the party describing the rapprochement efforts as a “closed chapter” and the disgruntled leader taking potshots at its top brass. Adhikari had resigned from the state cabinet last week and was seen on Thursday holding a rally without the party’s banners and flags at Garbeta in West Midnapore district. The TMC top brass has decided not to take any further initiative to convince Adhikari to remain in the party or address his grievances. Following the developments, Banerjee held a virtual meeting with the party leadership on Friday where she announced that she would be visiting various districts and holding rallies as a precursor to the election campaign. The TMC chief will address a rally at Bongaon in North 24 Parganas district on 9 December, and from 14 December, she will be on a two-day visit to North Bengal, an area where the BJP had made deep inroads during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly are due in April-May next year.