NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of “institutional takeover and cutting millions of votes” ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections.In a post on X, Kejriwal wrote, “Even after taking over all the institutions and getting millions of votes cut, what if Modi still loses the West Bengal election?”

The post comes amid heightened political tensions in West Bengal, where elections to the 294-member Assembly are scheduled to take place in two phases on April 23 and April 29.

The counting of votes is set for May 4.The political atmosphere in the state has been marked by sharp exchanges between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the

Bharatiya Janata Party

(BJP), particularly over allegations related to voter list revisions and electoral preparedness.TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee recently accused the

Election Commission

and the BJP of large-scale deletion of voter names, claiming that the process would be reversed if his party returns to power. He also questioned the classification of those removed from the electoral rolls.The BJP, meanwhile, has stepped up its campaign in the state. Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiled the party’s manifesto for the 2026 assembly elections, promising that a

Uniform Civil Code

would be implemented within six months if the party comes to power.

He also pledged strong action against infiltration and cattle smuggling, along with the formation of a commission headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to investigate instances of political violence in the state.With campaigning intensifying, leaders across parties are expected to continue trading accusations as the high-stakes electoral contest unfolds.