NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, Hemant Sorenm Akhilesh Yadav and Tejaswi Yadav to campaign for Mamata Banerjee in Bengal

According to the sources, Veteran leader and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Jharkhand chief minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Hemant Soren, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejaswi Yadav are among those who will campaign in the poll-bound West Bengal. Pawar, whose party is a coalition partner in the ruling alliance in Maharashtra, has already confirmed his dates, according to TMC sources.

Speaking to reporters in Baramati town of Pune district in Maharashtra, Pawar, whose party in an alliance partner of the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government laimed that barring Assam, the BJP will face defeat in four other poll-bound states and the election trend in the five states will give a new direction to the country.

“In Assam, the BJP’s condition is comparatively better (than other states). In one state (Assam), BJP will retain power while in other states, other political parties will win elections. This is the trend and I am sure this new trend from five states will show a new way to the nation,” he added.

He further said, “Despite all the misuse of state machinery by the BJP, Mamata Banerjee will retain her state.”

The former Union agriculture minister expressed disappointment over the Centre’s tackling of the farmer protest. The Centre should initiate discussion and work towards early resolution of the problem through politics of consensus, he recommended.

The Assembly elections in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry (Union Territory) will be held in March-April this year and votes will be counted on May 2.