The BJP’s foremost stronghold in Calcutta is a pocket that the Trinamool Congress swept in the last Assembly elections.

How Burrabazar — part of the Kolkata North Lok Sabha constituency — voted on Saturday is a question that will only be known on Tuesday. But the belt, perceived only as a hub of traders who trace their origins to Rajasthan and Gujarat, is much more diverse than you think.

A 4km radius that is part of Burrabazar is like a mini-India. It includes Bengal’s apex masjid, Calcutta’s only Ram temple, a gurdwara that by a conservative estimate is at least two centuries old and a 225-year-old church — a testament to its inherent pluralism.

The azaan from Nakhoda Masjid on Zakaria Street can be heard at Gurdwara Bara Sikh Sangat on MG Road. A drive from the Cathedral of the Most Holy Rosary on Brabourne Road, better known as the Portuguese Church, to the Ram Mandir on Central Avenue might take over 30 minutes because of the infamous traffic during the day but the distance can be covered on foot.

Narendra Modi is the strongest pull for a large section of the voters.

“If not Modiji, then who? He is a strong and decisive leader. There is no PM face in the Opposition,” Vijay Kumar Ganatra, a trader on Rabindra Sarani, said unequivocally.

Ganatra, a wholesaler of threads used to bind bidis, dismissed the allegation that Modi has failed to create enough jobs.

“Look at Burrabazar. Everyone is busy earning a livelihood. Joblessness is not an issue,” he said. With equal nonchalance, he dismissed the naysayers of GST. “GST is much better than the earlier VAT system,” he said.

Sooraj Khemka, a cotton trader near Satyanarayan AC Market, said Ram Mandir was Modi’s biggest achievement. “Dharma (religion) is above everything else,” said Khemka.

But place your ears deeper into the hustle, bustle and sensory assault of Burrabazar and you will hear many voices.

Sanjay Agarwal, who lives in a narrow bylane near Chitpore, said: “We are quite happy in Bengal. Didi has made strikes a thing of the past. She pays frequent visits to Burrabazar. The local MLA is accessible. Modi makes lofty speeches. But the price of everything has gone up. I am not worried about Pakistan. I am worried about my livelihood.”

Sanjay trades in plastic bottles that he buys from a unit in Joka. His wife Asha is a beneficiary of the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme. They live cheek by jowl in a cramped one-room flat — typical of Burrabazar — that has an AC and their son is pursuing an MBA course at a private institute. There are many such families in and around Burrabazar where women avail of the welfare scheme.

Surendra Sharma, 75, a former coal trader, is also among those not enamoured of Modi’s model. “Doing business has become more challenging now. The money that would earlier be rolling in the market has shrunk drastically,” he said.

Sharma finds the difference in GST rates baffling. “There is a 2 per cent GST on diamonds and 14 per cent on books. It beats me,” he said.

Burrabazar is part of Jorasanko, one of the seven Assembly segments that make up the Kolkata North Lok Sabha constituency.

Trinamool won Jorasanko in the state polls of 2021 as well as 2016.

Trinamool’s candidate in Kolkata North is heavyweight MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay, who won the seat in 2009, 2014 and 2019. In 2019, the BJP’s Rahul Sinha tailed him by over 1.27 lakh votes.

This time, he is pitted against Tapas Roy, former Trinamool leader who resigned in March and joined the BJP.

“Earlier, Jorasanko used to reduce Sudipda’s margin. Now, Jorasanko plays a role in increasing his margin. The trading community used to be with the BJP. Now, they
are with Mamata Banerjee,” said Vivek Gupta, the Jorasanko MLA, a businessman himself. He is largely credited with tilting the electoral scales in favour of Trinamool in
Burrabazar.

“The BJP’s game is polarisation. We went to the voters and asked them what good this Hindu-Muslim division is for them. Many traders in Burrabazar employ Muslim workers. Many of their clients are Muslims. Why bring religion into business?”

Jorasanko has around 2 lakh voters. Many of them are migrant workers who have been living here for decades.

Burrabazar used to be known for basas, or Marwari community kitchens. Back in the day, a basa would be the most popular spot for traders for a hearty meal. Thanks to the tide of time and the advent of online food aggregators, only a handful survive now.

One such is perched on the roof of a five-storey building off the intersection of MG Road and Rabindra Sarani. It is run by Kishan Maharaj, 61.

“The rise in prices is making life difficult. From pulses to cereals to edible oil, everything has become more expensive. Modi has not been able to control price rise,” said Maharaj.

Shahid Ahmed Khan, a fruit wholesaler in Posta and secretary of the Calcutta Fruit Merchants Association, spoke in the same vein.”The fuel prices have gone up sharply. That has had a spiralling effect on the price of every other commodity,” said Khan.

Tapas Roy, the BJP’s Kolkata North candidate, did not give much heed to the naysayers. “The ground reality has drastically changed since 2021 (last Assembly elections). Trinamool’s corruption has been exposed like never before. This time, Jorasanko will give my party a significant lead,” he said.