Nearly 45 percent non-Bengali voters in Bhawanipur are being considered as the only obstacle in the way of victory in Trinamool’s stronghold, but Mamata increased activism among them.
Tapan, a guide at the Kalighat temple, shows a video of BJP’s Subhendu Adhikari and says, “Even while entering the Maa’s temple, his people were raising slogans of Jai Shri Ram.” How will such people make their place in Bengal?” Kalighat temple is just a two-minute walk from the homes of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee. Actually, Mamta’s ancestral house is in the slum spread around the Kali temple. The temple, in a sense, is at the center of the Bhawanipur assembly constituency, which is the main electoral battle ground this year. Apart from his home constituency Nandigram, Shubhendu Adhikari is challenging Mamata Banerjee in Bhawanipur. He filed his nomination from Bhawanipur on April 5 along with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
This assembly constituency has not only been Mamata’s stronghold, but it is also the area that has shaped the electoral history of the Trinamool chief in the last few years. He continuously represented the Kolkata South Lok Sabha constituency, which also includes the Bhawanipur assembly constituency, from 1991 to 2011. Since coming to power in the state in 2011, Mamata Banerjee has contested this assembly seat thrice (including by-elections) and in 2021 she won by a huge margin of about 58,000 votes.
It is also worth noting that in 2021, the Chief Minister had challenged Shubhendu in his stronghold of Nandigram and lost by about 1,956 votes after confusion over the results. After that she contested the by-election from Bhawanipur. Nandigram is the place which had established the political picture of the state and Mamata in the state about two decades ago. Like Nandigram in 2021, this time Bhawanipur is in the center of discussion.Is.
Preparing for trouble: Shubhendu filing nomination from Bhawanipur area in the presence of Amit Shah.
Amit Das, who has set foot in Bhawanipur at the age of thirty, is associated with the Young Boys Club here. He mentions the power cut in Nandigram on the day of counting of votes in 2021. That became a big issue in the last phase of counting. He says, “They (BJP) had to cut electricity to change the results in Nandigram. We do not need anything like this in Bhawanipur. This is Didi’s stronghold and will always remain so. No amount of greed will work on the streets and lanes that have seen our leader march forward.”
Amit, busy preparing for the Ram Navami rally, says, “Our religion is completely different from their Hindutva. There are neither open swords nor violent slogans in our rally. It is a peaceful rally filled with songs and prayers, which respects decorum.” For most of the people of Bhawanipur, religion is the last resort with which electoral gains can be made in this diverse population. Apart from Bengali people, there is also a sizeable population of people from Gujarati, Marwari, Sikh, Sindhi and other communities. People of many different religions also live here. Bhawanipur has been a mixed settlement of Bengali Bhadralok, neo-rich, migrant traders and working class for many years.
Sanjit Chaudhary, 56, who has been running a garage business for four decades, says, “Bringing BJP to Bengal is like ruining the state, both the parties are two sides of the same coin. There is now no place for ideology in the politics of entire Bengal.
However, Bhawanipur had become difficult for Trinamool in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He had a lead of only 8,000 votes from this assembly constituency. Wards 70 and 74 in this area have about 45 percent non-Bengali voters. He is considered to be the only obstacle in the path of victory in the Trinamool stronghold. Following the Election Commission’s SIR, names of approximately 47,000 voters have been removed from this constituency. This number is very close to Mamata’s victory margin in 2021. Due to this there is panic in the Trinamool camp. However, due to Mamata’s recent activism in these wards, the atmosphere on the streets seems to have changed.
Umesh Kashyap, a fruit vendor at Roy Street crossing in Ward 70, says, “Politics runs in one direction in Bhawanipur. BJP’s religion card will not change this. Most of the people I know in this ward voted for Modi during the Lok Sabha elections. They will vote for Didi in the Assembly. When our councilors were in BJP, we voted for her. Now they have come to Trinamool. Because of Mamata, we would have got help.” Gujarati votes may go to BJP but most of the ‘non-Bengalis’ are inclined towards Didi.” Kashyap is originally from Bihar.
Recently, Mamata had inaugurated the newly constructed Mahavir Pillar of Sakal Jain Samaj. Police protection has also been given to Jain sadhus. Kashyap says, “This pillar has changed the entire face of the Chowk.” There is religious harmony and brotherhood here. Gujarati people also understand that Adhikari is not Modi. You cannot run Bhawanipur just by showing your face once in five years.
Hemant, 55, is well aware of this, whose grandparents had migrated to Bengal from Gujarat. Hemant says, “As a community, we are facing a big crisis in Bengal. We have to think about our business. The value of our properties is decreasing with every passing day. Pieces of land in this area are being sold to Muslim builders, while our children are thinking of building their future in Bengaluru or Hyderabad. Our Gujarati brothers living in other states are constantly warning us. Educated Hindus in all states are choosing BJP only.
His colleague Shekhar says, “Hindu people are in danger in Bengal. Muslims are being given more preference. The threat to Gujarati businessmen is continuously increasing. We are seeing developments in other states. Earlier there was a lot of potential in Bhawanipur also. But in recent times, the situation has worsened. Therefore, now it has become necessary that we give a chance to the other option also.” The BJP has been alleging that the change in the population structure of the main districts is changing the political scenario. Adhikari has announced that he will win in Bhawanipur by about 25,000 votes. In a recent rally held in this area, the officer raised slogans of ‘Hindu-Hindu Bhai-Bhai’, which is a clear attempt to polarize.
But some people believe completely opposite to this. Housewife Maya asks, “Which Hindus are in danger?” I am Hindu. We know our religion. Didi has changed our life. Lakshmi Bhandar Yojana helps me support the family. My family is from Bihar. Look at the situation there. There are no health services, no security, no education. Bhawanipur will protect Didi and give her everything.
This election contest in Bhawanipur has now taken the form of a festival. In this electoral field full of contradictions, people are oscillating between their old loyalty and the desire for change. This is the place where the famous politics of ‘Calcutta’ has now made way for the complicated stories of ‘Kolkata’.
