NEW DELHI: As political parties gear up for an intense electoral contest in the state of West Bengal, ABP News hosted another momentous edition of the day long political summit, Shikhar Sammelan, on 18 February 2021 to shed light on the key issues of the state.

This edition of Shikhar Sammelan onboarded a clutch of top sponsors. The presenting sponsors of the event were Shikhar Paan Masala and ABP Weddings. It was powered by Nine Sanitary Napkins and co-powered by Wild Stone. The programme also had Rupa Frontline as a partner, Beauty Relay as beauty partner, and Mukharochak as snacks partner.

The flagship conclave brought to the fore, the promises and perspectives of the political parties in the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections, insightful deliberations on local issues and national imperatives such as farmers' protest, Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), GST, and future of the Indian economy. Political heavyweights of the nation shed light on the promises and manifestos of their parties and answered the pertinent question – “Who will make sonar Bengal?”

The renowned knowledge-sharing platform saw a diverse line-up of political luminaries such as minister of home affairs Amit Shah, West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate, TMC leader Vivek Gupta, Meenakshi Mukherjee (CPIM), Baishali Dalmia (BJP), Laxmi Ratan Shukla (former cricketer & TMC leader), Sujata Mondal Khan (TMC), Saugata Roy (TMC), Ritabhari Chakraborty, Arjun Chakraborty, Manoj Tiwari, Samidh Mukherjee, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Tathagata Roy, Sambit Patra, Rohan Gupta, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar (TMC), Shatarup Ghosh (CPIM), Jeetendra Tiwari (TMC), Arjun Singh (MP), Subhankar Sarkar (Congress), Dr Shashi Panja (TMC), Agnimitra Paul (BJP), Monalisa Banerjee (Congress), Saayoni Ghosh, Firhad Hakim, and Dilip Ghosh.

ABP Network CEO Avinash Pandey said, “Every election season, our flagship event Shikhar Sammelan brings important discourses of the state and the nation to public scrutiny, through stimulating discussions and adrenaline-packed debates. It provides a unique platform to political leaders, to express their views and establish a stronger connection with the voters. This time too, these thought-provoking discussions will be crucial in setting the tone for the upcoming elections.”