Malda (West bengal) [India], April 15 (ANI): Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleged at a public meeting in Malda that voters in West Bengal have grown disillusioned with both the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing the two parties of corruption and saying the electorate is ready to send a strong message in the elections.

In a post shared on X on Tuesday, Congress wrote, 'The people of West Bengal are fed up with both TMC and BJP. Modi is corrupt and TMC is no less involved in corruption. That is why the people of the state are ready to teach a lesson to both through the 'blow of the vote' in the elections. With this very message, the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, addressed a public meeting in Malda.'

Earlier on Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi targeted the Trinamool Congress, claiming that the industrial sector in West Bengal had been 'finished' first by the Left government and later by the TMC.

Speaking at a rally in Raiganj, he said, 'Earlier, Bengal was an industrial hub. Earlier, the communists and now the TMC finished the industrial sector in Bengal. PM Narendra Modi is corrupt anyway, but TMC is not lagging behind in the race of corruption either. Sharda Chit Fund Scam: 1,900 crore rupees of 17 lakh investors have not been returned. Rose Valley Chit Fund Scam: 6,600 crore rupees of 31 lakh investors have not been returned yet.'

Congress has fielded Mohit Sengupta in the Raiganj Assembly constituency, where TMC's sitting MLA and West Bengal minister Krishna Kalyani is contesting again. Kalyani had won the seat on the BJP ticket in 2021 before later joining the TMC. The BJP, in turn, has fielded Kaushik Chowdhury in a bid to regain the seat.

The Congress, which failed to win any seat in the previous Assembly elections, is now aiming to gain ground in the multi-cornered contest between the TMC and the BJP in West Bengal.

Polling for the West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. (ANI)