To keep heat on Opposition, PM to address women’s convention in Varanasi on Bengal poll eve

Weather ePaper Today’s Paper Journalism of Courage Home ePaper Politics Explained Opinion India Business Premium Cities UPSC Entertainment Sports World Lifestyle Tech Subscribe Sign In TrendingUPSC OfferIPL 2026US NewsPuzzles & GamesLegal NewsFresh TakeHealthResearch🎙️ Podcast Advertisement function checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript() { if (window.jQuery) { // jQuery is loaded, include your script jQuery(document).ready(function($) { // Your existing script for checking window width if (window.innerWidth) var page_w = window.innerWidth; else if (document.all) var page_w = document.body.clientWidth; if (page_w > 1024) { $(".add-left, .add-right").show(); } else { $(".add-left, .add-right").hide(); } }); } else { // jQuery is not loaded, check again after 0.2 seconds setTimeout(checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript, 200); } } // Initial call to the function checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript(); NewsCitiesLucknowTo keep heat on Opposition, PM to address women's convention in Varanasi on Bengal poll eve To keep heat on Opposition, PM to address women’s convention in Varanasi on Bengal poll eve The Prime Minister will be on a two-day tour of Varanasi from April 28. Written by: Lalmani Verma3 min readLucknowUpdated: Apr 20, 2026 05:17 AM IST Supporters attend PM Narendra Modi’s Vijay Sankalp rally in West Bengal’s Midnapore on Sunday. (PTI) Make us preferred source on Google Whatsapp twitter Facebook Reddit PRINT To continue his attack on the Opposition over the defeat of the Constitutional 131st Amendment Bill that sought to advance reservation of 33 per cent seats for women in an expanded Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a women’s convention in his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi on April 28. The Prime Minister will be on a two-day tour of Varanasi from April 28. At a meeting of the Kashi regional unit of the BJP on Sunday for the preparations for the Mahila Sammelan, it was decided to ensure the presence of over 50,000 women at the convention. BJP sources said that in order to send a message of women empowerment, the party has decided to give key responsibilities related to the event preparations to women leaders of the party. Taking note that the event will be held on the eve of the first phase of polling for the West Bengal Assembly elections, a senior BJP leader told The Indian Express, “Certainly, the West Bengal elections will be at the core of the PM’s address on April 28. The subject of the Mahila Sammelan is likely to be women reservation Bill. Women from Varanasi city, zila unit and adjoining districts will be present in the audience.” On Sunday, in his first public appearance in West Bengal after the Bill could not muster enough numbers in Parliament last Friday, the PM attacked the Trinamool Congress, claiming that it ‘betrayed’ women. The Opposition, on the other hand, has been accusing the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre of introducing the Bill to get political mileage in poll-bound states like West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Another BJP leader said that the PM will stay overnight in Varanasi and address another event in the city on April 29. To invite women to the Mahila Sammelan, the BJP will hold a drive in the region and tell them what the Modi-led government has done for the empowerment of women since 2014. In the first major legislative loss for the Modi government since it came to power in 2014, the Constitutional (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, seeking to advance reservation of 33 per cent seats for women in an expanded Lok Sabha and state Assemblies and facilitate delimitation of constituencies, was defeated in Lok Sabha Friday evening. Lalmani is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, and is based in New Delhi. He covers politics of the Hindi Heartland, tracking BJP, Samajwadi Party, BSP, RLD and other parties based in UP, Bihar and Uttarakhand. Covered the Lok Sabha elections of 2014, 2019 and 2024; Assembly polls of 2012, 2017 and 2022 in UP along with government affairs in UP and Uttarakhand. ... Read More Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram