Vishwa Neta on Tuesday. Ghar-er Meye on Wednesday.

A contest that played out on a 1.8km stretch of north Calcutta — along Bidhan Sarani between Shyambazar and Hedua — pitched a divine agent against a didi.

On Tuesday evening, the Prime Minister toured the stretch on an open-boot
mini-truck, passing by 20ft cut-outs of Narendra Modi every 50m.

On Wednesday afternoon, chief minister Mamata Banerjee covered the distance on foot, walking up to people waiting across the barricades every now and then.

Modi’s show was more spectacular. The larger-than-life aura that surrounds the Prime Minister was omnipresent. At every crossroads, placards, cut-outs and posters were stacked up on the road. BJP volunteers distributed them among the crowd.

Modi was on every single one of them. The loudspeakers blared NaMo songs on a loop. People seemed possessed while chanting his name. One would call him an avatar, another the tallest neta in India since Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, a third described him as vishwa neta (global leader).

Mamata’s campaign looked more earthly. Her famed people skills were on display. In between walking briskly, she would every now and then walk up to a woman to caress the baby in her arms, greet an elderly woman or garland a girl.

Rajkumari Yadav, 61, was waiting on Bidhan Sarani with her granddaughter Piu, who turns three in two months. Rajkumari’s home is a five-minute walk from Fariapukur. She came to Bidhan Sarani on Tuesday as well to see the Prime Minister.

“Modi ka bheed zyada tha. Par humko faida to Didi se zyada hai (Modi had drawn more crowd. But Mamata is more beneficial to us),” said Rajkumari. She gets Rs 1,000 every month from the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme and has a Swasthya Sathi card.

Paresh Kundu, a hawker on Bidhan Sarani who sells belts, bags and other accessories, opened his stall after two days. If the rain in the trail of Cyclone Remal forced his shop shut on Monday, the Modi spectacle prompted police to direct the closure of all hawker kiosks along Bidhan Sarani on Tuesday.

On Wednesday afternoon, Kundu shared his two cents on electoral politics. “Why is he (Modi) coming to Bengal so frequently? Because he is sensing trouble in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. His party will suffer big losses in the traditional strongholds. That is why he is eying Bengal,”
said Kundu.

Digital India, Modi’s much-vaulted project, is bleeding small traders like him, said Kundu. “Most people are buying online. Where will we go,” he asked.

Not everyone sang the same tune, though. Biswajit Mondal, who works at a stall selling dresses for miniature idols, said the digital thrust was one of Modi’s best initiatives. “He is trying something new. The Trinamool government is steeped in corruption,” he said.

Kaberi Das, an elderly woman who lives near Hatibagan, came to see Mamata like she came to see Modi at the same place.

“The BJP is the best bet for India and Bengal. We need decisive leaders,” she said.

But Mamata had her share of female fan base. Most of them were beneficiaries of one or the other welfare schemes of her government. Some
were not.

Sahana Das and Dipali Mandal, who work at the Hatibagan store of a jewellery chain, had stepped out of their workplace to see Mamata.

“My mother gets money from Lakshmir Bhandar. The amount may be small but it helps a lot,” said Das.

The state government has announced a Rs 500 hike for Lakshmir Bhandar beneficiaries in the general category (to Rs 1,000 a month). Trinamool is going big in their campaign for the general election with the scheme.

Pampa Sonar came to see Mamata from Paikpara with her husband and seven-year-old daughter.

“Didi is the best. She has done a lot for us,” said Pampa, also a beneficiary of
Lakshmir Bhandar. She also has a Swasthya Sathi Card and her elder daughter, aged 16, is a beneficiary of the Kanyashree scheme.

Chaitali Bhattacharya had come with her sister Rama and 10-year-old daughter Adrija. Her paternal home is in Paikpara and her in-laws live in Bhowanipore.

They had come to buy some clothes and did not know about Mamata’s walk. When they came to know, they stayed back to see her. Adrija tried to give a garland to Mamata,
who returned it to her, saying: “Eta tomar prapyo (You deserve this).”

“Politics aside, Mamata is an inspiration,” said Chaitali, who does not avail of any government welfare scheme.