Amit Shah, India's Home Minister, addressed a rally in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, expressing confidence in the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) chances in the state elections. He highlighted the party's strong candidate in Madhyamgram, which has been under the control of the Trinamool Congress for the past 20 years. Shah noted that the first phase of voting recorded an impressive 91.78% turnout, the highest since India's independence, which he interprets as a sign of diminishing support for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's party. He emphasized that this election has been conducted without violence, attributing the peaceful process to the efforts of the Election Commission and paramilitary forces. Shah dismissed allegations of misuse of paramilitary forces by the central government and expressed confidence that the BJP will continue to gain ground in West Bengal, predicting that the next Chief Minister will be from the BJP. Voting in Madhyamgram is scheduled for the second phase on April 29, with results to be counted on May 4.