Kolkata, Jan 19 (IANS): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee received a tumultuous welcome as she reached the Brigade Parade Ground for the opposition's mega anti-BJP rally on Saturday.

The Trinamool supremo, who earlier left her Kalighat residence to the blowing of conch shells and continuous slogans eulogising her from scores of TMC activists and supporters, was received by senior party leaders at the ground.

Lakhs of her party supporters, who have already reached the venue, cheered wildly and broke into spontaneous applause on seeing Banerjee -- affectionately called Didi (elder sister).

From early morning, thousands of Trinamool activists from the city and other districts of the state have been converging at the sprawling Brigade Parade ground, where a galaxy of senior political leaders from various parts of India would address the crowd, virtually kick-starting the Opposition's campaign ahead of the coming general election.

Many arterial roads of the metropolis were witnessing traffic congestion with the TMC activists hitting the roads with various sizes of processions amidst constant sloganeering "Modi hatao, desh banchao" (remove Modi, save country).