The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which made its mark in national politics with chants of Jai Shri Ram, is now turning to Bengal’s biggest festival — Durga Puja — to strengthen its grassroots presence before the 2026 Assembly elections.
Despite Bengal’s centuries-old Akal-Bodhan tradition of worshipping Ramchandra as part of Durga Puja, the saffron camp has so far struggled to completely win Bengali hearts in the political arena. To bridge that gap, the BJP has planned intensive public relations during this year’s Sharad Utsav, aiming to make the 25th Durga Puja season a turning point in its electoral strategy.
Laxman Ghorui, MLA from Durgapur West and convener of the BJP’s Durga Puja outreach, said party workers have been instructed to “closely involve themselves in local pujas — be it as part of committees, contributing donations, or assisting in arrangements.” He added that women cadres have been asked to play an active role in upholding the customs and traditions of the festival.
At the same time, Ghorui admitted that the party intends to weave its political narrative into festive conversations. "During Puja, Bengalis engage in endless adda. Many who live outside Bengal also return home and naturally politics becomes part of these discussions. Our goal is to place the BJP’s message in those conversations,” he said.
Competing for space around the pandal
Traditionally, Left parties like the CPM, though secular in approach, have maintained a strong presence around puja mandaps with bookstalls for the past one decade propagating their ideology. The ruling Trinamool Congress, too, is now deeply entrenched in puja activities, with leaders often inaugurating pandals or distributing government grants.
The BJP, in comparison, has been a late entrant. Its experiment with organising a puja in Salt Lake in 2019, inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, created ripples — particularly with a female priest conducting rituals. But the initiative was discontinued after three years. Since then, the saffron camp’s presence has remained sporadic, though leaders like Ghorui and councillor Sajal Ghosh at Santosh Mitra Square have kept the party connected to prominent celebrations.
This year, the BJP plans to revive its Salt Lake puja. Additionally, leaders have rolled out initiatives like "Operation Sindoor", under which sarees, shankhas, sindoor and altas will be distributed to underprivileged women. “Since Durga Puja is so deeply tied to Bengali emotions, we want to engage directly with people at that time,” said Chandrashekhar Banerjee, vice-president of BJP’s Burdwan-Durgapur district.
Women leaders too are stepping in. “Our Mahila Morcha members will not only participate in community pujas but also take part in family pujas across neighbourhoods,” said Manisha Sikdar, BJP’s Paschim Burdwan district women’s wing chief.
Opposition dismisses BJP’s strategy
The ruling Trinamool Congress and the CPM, however, remain skeptical. Siddharth Basu of the CPM’s West Burdwan unit said, “This is just religion-based politics. Bengal never had temple-mosque politics until BJP brought it here with TMC’s help. They won’t gain much.”
Uttam Mukherjee of the TMC echoed the sentiment saying, “They have sold the country, now they want Bengal. But people know Modibabu’s tricks. Durga Puja is a people’s festival, not a political platform. Bengalis will reject BJP’s agenda.”
Ahead of the 2021 elections, TMC effectively branded BJP as an party of “outsiders” and accused it of being “anti-Bengali.” Analysts believe this narrative cost the BJP votes. Learning from that, the saffron party appears to be reshaping its rhetoric. Once known for beginning and ending speeches with Jai Shri Ram, its leaders — including Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Durgapur — are now invoking Maa Durga and Maa Kali instead.
Political observers see BJP’s increased participation in Durga Puja as part of this recalibration. Whether this strategy helps the party counter TMC’s “anti-Bengali” charge and expand its reach among festival-goers, however, remains to be seen.
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