Issues of identity, governance, representation and electoral trust dominated the high‑pitched battle for West Bengal as campaigning for the second and final phase ended on Monday.From Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s open letter to the state and his famed pitstop for jhalmuri to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s no‑holds‑barred street‑level canvassing, the election saw what many political observers described as a “never‑before” energy.Voters’ response will now be gauged on April 29, when 142 constituencies will go to the polls in the second phase. It remains to be seen whether the competing narratives of the BJP and the TMC mobilise voters on polling day, after a record turnout of 93.19 per cent in the first leg of the elections on April 23.PM Modi wrapped up the final day of canvassing with a letter to Bengalis, in which he drew parallels between his campaign tour of the state and the 11‑day fast he undertook on the eve of the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.“Before the ‘pran pratishtha’ of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya, I observed an 11‑day ritual with deep devotion and fasted. I felt Lord Ram’s presence fill me with boundless energy… In this election too, I experienced that same feeling — the one you get after praying to your temple deity. Seeing the people of Bengal, who are manifestations of God, imbibed me with renewed energy,” the Prime Minister said, seeking to appeal to the deep cultural roots of the state.The ruling Trinamool Congress president and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee signed off with a roadshow in south Kolkata. The choice was significant as the area includes Bhabanipur, the Chief Minister’s constituency, where she is locked in what is being billed as the mother of all battles with former confidant and Bengal BJP stalwart Suvendu Adhikari.Campaigning for the second phase was characterised not just by the BJP’s anti‑infiltration pitch versus the TMC’s opposition to the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls, but also by claims from both sides that they were winning over 100 of the 152 seats polled in the first phase.Modi’s campaign was peppered with religious appeals as he prayed at well‑known local temples. He also countered TMC accusations of ignoring the Matuas by promising citizenship under the CAA to Hindu Matuas.Home Minister Amit Shah further powered the BJP’s campaign by declaring that once elected, the party would deport every illegal migrant. Shah’s “will hang upside down” remark triggered controversy, with Mamata Banerjee and her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, daring the Home Minister to be in Bengal on May 4, the counting day.This came even as PM Modi said in his letter to Bengal that securing the state was his responsibility. “We will all celebrate the oath‑taking ceremony of a BJP chief minister together,” the Prime Minister said.