india

Updated: Nov 27, 2018 23:33 IST

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday announced it would to go ahead with the first of its three ‘rath yatras’ in West Bengal on December 7 without waiting for the state government’s permission. The government has been sitting on their letters seeking permissions for them, BJP leaders said.

Three air-conditioned buses have been decorated as raths or chariots for the yatras (processions) to galvanise support for the BJP in the state ahead of the national elections due next year. Top BJP leaders from across the country will participate in them. The yatras will cover around 6,600 km across West Bengal’s 294 assembly constituencies for over a month.

West Bengal has the most (42) Lok Sabha seats after Uttar Pradesh (80) and Maharashtra (48). It is key to the BJP’s plans to retain power at the Centre since the party has peaked in its northern and western Indian strongholds. The BJP swept the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in states like Uttar Pradesh, where it won 71 of the 80 seats. It managed to win just two seats in West Bengal, where it has since made inroads