West Bengal election: Bhowanipore sees early campaign blitz for high-stakes political fight

KOLKATA: Five years on, the battleground has shifted from a largely rural setting to a fully urban constituency. Yet the Bhowanipore contest — between chief minister Mamata Banerjee and leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari — remains as unpredictable as ever. In no mood to concede an inch, foot soldiers of both camps hit the campaign trail soon after the candidate lists were announced.

In the wake of the SIR process striking off 41,068 voters — nearly a fifth of the electorate — the Trinamool Congress has been forced to redraw its booth-level strategy. Senior leaders have held a series of meetings with workers across wards in the constituency, with councillors tasked to brief and lead local teams. Even before these meetings, party cadres had begun painting the chief minister's name across walls.




In Bakulbagan under Ward 72, long-time Trinamool workers Swarup Ghosh and Souvik Das, alias Mati, were busy ensuring all "suitable walls" carried the CM's name. "This is our chance to avenge 2021, and we will do it exactly the way Didi has planned. This is our backyard, and Suvendu is an outsider," said Das. Workers said they plan to complete the wall campaign within 72 hours. "Didi has not lost here since 1991. That won't change this year," Ghosh added.

Local councillor Sandip Ranjan Bakshi said, "We are meeting our workers and strategising. We will follow the leadership's directions like disciplined soldiers."

Another councillor, requesting anonymity, said the focus was on repeated outreach to every household. "Apartments will be crucial. The SIR has placed a large section of Muslim voters under adjudication — over 56%. We must perform well in key wards, especially 70 and 72, where we trailed the BJP in 2024 Lok Sabha polls," he said. With indications that Banerjee may begin campaigning this weekend, party sources said groundwork was being fast-tracked.

While Ward 72 witnessed intense Trinamool activity, adjoining Ward 73 saw the BJP focus on direct voter contact. Party workers went door-to-door and visited local temples to connect with residents. "Adhikari will begin his campaign from Chakraberia Road at 11 am on Thursday. We have already conducted door-to-door outreach over the past 48 hours and begun wall writing," said BJP Dakshin district president Anupam Bhattacharya.

As part of its outreach, BJP's Bhowanipore Mandal workers met devotees and locals at Harlal Temple on Chatterjee Street. "We appealed for public support and discussed upcoming programmes. There will be continuous coordination at the booth level. We can already sense a desire for change," said party worker Ranjan Pahari.