The Bengal BJP is desperate to make a mark during the Kali Puja and Jagaddhatri Puja, having fallen far behind the Trinamul Congress in tapping into the Durga Puja to enhance mass outreach.
The fact that the more prominent hubs of Kali Puja and Jagaddhatri Puja are in the districts, such as North 24-Parganas and Hooghly, the BJP is upbeat about its chances of making the most of these two festivities. The Durga Puja scene, whose nucleus lies in Calcutta and its surroundings, was lorded over by Trinamul, given its near-total hegemony in the region.
Sources in the Bengal unit of the BJP said they had already begun capitalising on opportunities in the districts, to inaugurate or be part of organising as many Kali and Jagaddhatri pujas as possible.
“We have asked our MPs and district leaders to speak to as many puja organisers as possible so that we can visibly be a part of the proceedings, from inauguration to immersion,” said a source in the BJP’s state headquarters.
Kali Puja is celebrated with as much pomp and splendour in several parts of south Bengal, such as Tamluk in East Midnapore and Naihati in North 24-Parganas, as Durga Puja is in Calcutta. Jagaddhatri Puja — for which Hooghly’s Chandernagore is famous — is a four-day event in the districts, commencing on November 3.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t reach out to as many organisers during Durga Puja as we had hoped. We are aiming to cover as many Kali pujas as we can in the districts,” said a BJP leader.
For Kali Puja, chief minister Mamata Banerjee launched her inauguration spree on Thursday in Siliguri, days ahead of anybody else. The chief minister has, like during Durga Puja, ordered all elected representatives and leaders of her party not to leave their areas during Kali Puja and Jagaddhatri Puja.
Sources said the BJP had set its sights on several big-ticket Kali pujas in Pandua (Hooghly), Barasat and Tamluk, where leaders have been told to reach out to the organisers as well as the people on the ground well in advance. In other districts, such as West and East Burdwan and Birbhum, BJP leaders have been directed to stay in touch with the organisers for any help they might need.
“Our party leaders and sitting MPs will inaugurate hundreds of Kali pujas and Jagaddhatri pujas. All the leaders have been asked to be with the organisers and local people,” said BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, the Midnapore MP.
The BJP’s Hooghly MP, Locket Chatterjee, will inaugurate six Kali pujas in Pandua on Saturday afternoon, after which she will spend three days in Hooghly next month to see the Jagaddhatri Puja celebrations through. In Asansol, local BJP MP Babul Supriyo inaugurated three Kali pujas on Friday.
However, several BJP leaders admitted in private that even Kali Puja and Jagaddhatri Puja invites had been difficult to secure, despite the party’s stellar show in those areas in the general election this summer.
“The ruling party exerts pressure on the organisers. So our leaders will stay close to the ground and interact with the masses,” said a BJP leader in Hooghly. “Our leaders have been invited to inaugurate about a dozen Kali pujas in Pandua, where over 150 prominent pujas take place,” he added.
Responding to the BJP’s increased activity in the remainder of this festival season, Trinamul leaders have upped their game in their respective areas.
Trinamul leaders in Pandua said they had directed local organisers not to allow BJP leaders in their inaugurations.
“The puja committees that were willing to invite BJP leaders have been asked to invite senior civil or police officers instead,” said a Trinamul leader from Hooghly.
For Jagaddhatri Puja too, Trinamul is gearing up to scuttle the BJP’s plans.
“All our councillors have already started working with almost every puja committee. The inaugurations will be done by our leaders only. Senior leaders from Calcutta, even the chief minister, might visit during Jagaddhatri Puja,” said Dilip Yadav, Trinamul’s Hooghly district chief.