The grandeur of Kali Puja that was started by Anubrata Mondal in 2010, a year before Trinamul came to the power in 2011, at its Bolpur party office was a visibly low-key affair this year.

Trinamul’s Birbhum chief Mondal was arrested by the CBI in a cattle-smuggling case on August 11 from his Bolpur residence and is presently in jail in Asansol.

Kali Puja at the party office had become popular in the past few years and gold ornaments donated to the deity gradually increased over the years.

Last year, Mondal, who used to decorate the deity himself, had publicly claimed that the goddess wore around 5.7 kilos of gold jewellery.

In sharp contrast to the deity’s decoration last year, the Kali idol was decorated with only a few pieces of gold jewellery that would not have weighed more than 500 grams, a Trinamul leader said.

“We took out the minimum amount of jewellery from the bank’s vault. As our leader in jail, we did not take the risk to show off the jewellery. Who will take the risk of public display of such a huge amount of gold?” the leader added.

Trinamul spokesperson Malay Mukherjee, however, added: “Although it was organised at the party office, we should not forget it was Anubrata da’s Kali Puja. We are sad because of our leader's absence and so we desisted from decorating the idol like he used to till last year.”

The fewer gold ornaments on the idol is not the only thing that stood out in this year’s puja.

The turnout for the puja was also visibly less in comparison to the huge crowds that this puja attracted in the earlier years.

The goddess this year at the same venue

Ever since the puja started, getting inside the Trinamul party office on the day of Kali Puja was tough with a large number of party workers and leaders swarming in the area. The Kali Puja at the party office in the university town was a must-go destination for Trinamul leaders and supporters from Birbhum and adjoining East Burdwan till last year.

But till 7 pm on Monday, there were only a very few party workers and leaders at the party office involved in organising the Kali Puja.

“I could not believe my eyes when I entered the party office today (Monday). Last year, I had to jostle to get a seat at the party office. This time the three-storey building is almost deserted. It is unfortunate to see that party workers have started distancing themselves (from the puja) as the leader remains arrested in the cattle smuggling case,” said a Trinamul leader who came to Bolpur especially for the puja on Monday.

Sources said many senior Trinamul leaders and MLAs skipped the Bolpur puja this time, citing engagements at home.

“A large number of people used to come to attend the puja with the intention of meeting Anubrata Mondal. As he is not present here, most party workers did not come. However, many of the leaders reached late in the evening," said Mukherjee, party's spokesperson.

The missing crowds show how other leaders lack Mondal’s organisation skills, said a party insider.

Many Trinamul insiders agreed, saying that the thin crowd sends a clear message that the party's organisation in the district was facing a tough time in Mondal’s absence.

“This year's Kali Puja sends a clear message for senior leaders that the party workers here have lost their confidence following Mondal’s arrest and continued incarceration,” said a senior Trinamul leader.