The noise was around the mandir, mangalsutra and Pakistan but people voted for more earthly issues like prices of everyday necessities, social security and welfare schemes.

On Tuesday afternoon, two taxi drivers were following the results on their mobile phones at a petrol pump in New Alipore, their vehicles parked at a corner meant to check the air pressure in the tyres.

One of the drivers, Hareram Singh, said: “The Manmohan Singh government was much better for us. Diesel came at less than Rs 60 a litre. We could drive an empty taxi for 3km looking for a passenger. Now, it is impossible. Price rise is eating into my savings every single day. Ten years ago, survival was not a challenge. Now, it is.”

Singh’s family lives, and votes, in Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh but he has been in Calcutta for over 25 years and is a voter here.

“In between Ram Mandir and a threat to Hindus, Modi talks about vikas. We are not part of that vikas. My family voted against his brand of vikas in Uttar Pradesh. I did the same here,” said Singh.

This newspaper crisscrossed the city on result day and stopped by at many places to hear many such voices.

Mayuri, a garment store at the Azadgarh market in the Tollygunge area, did not have any customer around 12.30pm on Tuesday. Huddled together were five men, their eyes on a phone tracking the results.

By then, the early trends showed Trinamool leading in around 28 seats in Bengal and the BJP in around 12.

Gautam Kanti Dutta, 75, was the most vocal. “Why talk so much about Hindus and Muslims when the price of cooking gas is shooting up like a rocket? Why suspend 140 Opposition MPs? That is arrogance. It is not good,” said Dutta.

Sitting beside him was Sambhunath Saha, a 61-year-old trader. Hypertensive for many years now, Saha took out a strip of tablets that he takes to keep his blood pressure under control. “The strip cost Rs 135 in 2022. Now, it comes at Rs 240,” he said.

Dipu Das and his wife Baby, the owners of the shop, said almost all families in the neighbourhood were beneficiaries of the welfare schemes of the Bengal government. Baby avails of money from Lakshmir Bhandar and Dutta from the old-age pension scheme (bardhakya bhata).

Lakshmir Bhandar entails a direct cash transfer to women between 25 and 60 years.

The Mamata government hiked Lakshmir Bhandar’s amount to Rs 1,000 a month from Rs 500 for beneficiaries in the general category. Trinamool went big with Lakshmir Bhandar in their campaign for the general elections.

“We are not all Trinamool supporters. But we cannot deny that she had taken these schemes, especially Lakshmir Bhandar, to a large section of the state’s population,” said Das.

The hawkers’ market in Gariahat was relatively empty in the afternoon. Amit Ray, who sells women’s bags, was tracking the results along with fellow hawkers.

“There are six women in my family. All of them get money from Lakshmir Bhandar. Together, it adds up to Rs 6,000. For our family, the amount is not insignificant,” said Roy, who lives in Kasba.

“Nobody thinks about women like Mamata. She comes across as one of our own,” said Shila Poddar, 64, flashing the victory sign outside a counting centre at Vijaygarh Jyotish Ray College, which is in the Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency.

Poddar, a beneficiary of the old-age and widow pension schemes, came to the counting centre braving the sultry conditions from Kudghat to show her support for Mamata.

Nikhil Saha, 19, who delivers food for an online aggregator, had his eyes glued to a TV screen inside a Trinamool office near Behala police station. He is not a party worker but was catching up on the results between delivering orders.

“There is an acute shortage of jobs, in the state and the country. But Mamata is at least talking about jobs and price rise. Modiji always talks about Hindus and Muslims,” said Saha.

Narendra Modi’s election speeches took a divisive turn after the first couple of phases reported a low turnout. He had accused the Congress — without evidence — of plotting to distribute Hindus’ properties, including women’s mangalsutras, among Muslims, if elected to power.

Modi also said Pakistani leaders were praying for the Opposition’s success in India’s elections.