Temple politics in Bengal: How Mamata Banerjee is trying to counter BJP's 'Jai Ma Kali' push

Time of India

4 days ago

NEW DELHI: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who is often accused of appeasement politics by her opponents, seems to be charting new waters to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the political temperatures rise ahead of the 2026 West Bengal assembly election.
In the recent bypoll in Nadia's Kaliganj assembly segment, BJP, which although lost the election, felt that the party had significant takeaway from the results - consolidation of Hindu votes.
"We have been able to reap the benefits of assimilating Hindu votes in the region. The effort has paid off since we have received an overwhelming majority of votes from Hindu-dominated areas like Palassey," Suvendu Adhikari, leader of opposition, said.
This perhaps explains Mamata's recent visible tilt towards soft Hindutva as she tries to do a course correction. With the grand inauguration of Rs 250 crore Jagannath Dham in April, and now the announcement of 'Durga Angan' project, Mamata is signaling a deliberate recalibration of her ideological narrative, long dominated by BJP.
The 'Durga Angan' gambit
With the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections looming, the chief minister has moved to the heart of the state's cultural and religious identity with her announcement to create 'Durga Angan', a grand year-round temple complex dedicated to Ma Durga.
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"Just as we developed Jagannath Dham, we will create 'Durga Angan' so that people can visit and experience it throughout the year," the TMC chief said.
Interestingly, the announcement comes at a time when BJP is swiftly invoking Bengal centric religious symbols like 'Jai Ma Kali' and 'Jai Ma Durga' in its campaign narrative.
On July 18, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoked the Goddesses at the beginning of his speech in Durgapur as he said that BJP is the only party that truly respects and protects Bengali 'ashmita' (pride).
Later Banerjee, targeting PM directly during Martyrs' Day rally asked: "Why is it that you suddenly start remembering Ma Kali and Ma Durga only during the elections? Ma Durga is our revered goddess, and Durga Puja has even received international recognition as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. Now listen, just as we developed Jagannath Dham, we will create 'Durga Angan' so that people can visit and experience it throughout the year.
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The CM, however, gave no timeline or details of the project.
BJP slams TMC's Hindu symbolism
Soon after Mamata's announcement, BJP slammed the decision as unconstitutional, alleging misuse of public funds to promote religion and branding it a political ploy to woo Hindu votes traditionally gravitating toward BJP.
Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition in the West Bengal assembly, asked, "No religious institution - temple, mosque, church or gurudwara - can be built using taxpayers' money."
He accused Mamata of misusing public funds and ignoring constitutional benchmarks.
He further added, "She hasn't read the Constitution, nor does she understand her own religion. She must educate herself before making such statements."
TMC defends its faith credentials
TMC spokesperson Riju Dutta, in rebuttal, pointed out Mamata Banerjee's long-standing spiritual affinity and said, "She performed Kali Puja at home even before entering politics.
Building temples like Jagannath Dham or Durga Angan stems from genuine faith." He also cited prior state support for thousands of grassroots Durga Pujas and securing a Unesco heritage tag for the festival as evidence of the TMC's longstanding cultural engagement.
"She has supported thousands of grassroots Durga Pujas with financial grants and helped secure UNESCO's heritage tag for the festival. She even organises the annual Durga Puja Carnival.
Does that not count? BJP mocks Jagannath Dham as a 'theme park' and now questions her faith, people will judge them," he added.
Why temple projects matter for TMC
In West Bengal, the BJP election campaigns have focused on alleged Muslim appeasement by TMC, drawing support from Hindu voters. This has been especially effective in districts such as Murshidabad, Malda, Nadia, and North 24 Parganas.
As Mamata government fights the aftermath of recent riots in Murshidabad, rapes in Kolkata medical college and B-school, the temple projects help TMC's double strategy of blending soft Hindutva symbolism with welfare-centric politics.
These moves also come at a time when BJP has brought in Samik Bhattacharya, a staunch party loyalist with deep RSS roots to lead BJP state unit president marking a strategic move by the central leadership to stabilise the state unit amid internal rifts and prepare it for the 2026 Assembly elections.
Since the BJP's 2021 assembly poll defeat, the organisation has suffered desertions, infighting, and setbacks in the 2023 Panchayat polls, 2024 Lok Sabha elections and recent bypoll in Kaliganj.
In the 2021 assembly elections, TMC secured 48.02% vote share and 215 out of 292 seats, while BJP captured 37.97% but only 77 seats.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, TMC won 29 of 42 seats with approximately 45.76% vote share, up from around 43.3% in 2019; BJP fell to 12 seats with 38.73%, from 40.7% in 2019.
While TMC retains advantage, Mamata's recent turn toward Hindu imagery appears bipartisan in purpose: a fence-mending strategy with Hindu voters while reinforcing her base among minority groups and welfare beneficiaries.
As Banerjee positions herself at the cross-section of symbolism and state resources, her gamble may well be to preempt BJP's Hindutva allure. For now, the electoral arithmetic still favors TMC, but the game is tightening.
In Bengal's increasingly polarised politics, religious symbolism is now a shared battlefield, and Mamata is choosing to play offense.