BJP's next target in West Bengal is shoring up Durga Puja clubs in communally-sensitive districts

Desperate to boost their presence in the state, the BJP is now eyeing the Bengali's favourite Durga Puja, celebrated across the state over five fun-filled days and nights. Sensing a 'perfect opportunity' to engage with Hindu revellers, the party's plan focuses on the puja clubs, specifically those spurned by the ruling Trinamool Congress government (for refusing to hoist TMC flags at their pandals).

State general secretary Deboshree Roy Chowdhury says the BJP will support clubs focused on the festival's religious aspects, most of which are not patronised by Mamata Banerjee's government anyway. Notably, some 7,000 puja clubs fly the TMC's colours and thrive on the doles and corporate sponsorships arranged by government ministers and party functionaries.

The BJP is reaching out to several clubs in the city and in districts like Malda, Murshidabad and North 24 Parganas, in "areas where Hindus are a minority". Roy Chowdhury claims these clubs have sought the BJP's assistance "to observe Hindu festivals without hindrance". State BJP chief Dilip Ghosh says "RSS workers will ensure no harm comes to them during the festival".

The situation goes back to December-February (2016-17) and the protests in a Tehata school in Nadia district over a Saraswati puja event being organised (the school had earlier refused permission to celebrate Nabi Diwas). Taking a cue from the Hindu backlash that followed, the Bengal BJP now has Saraswati vandana at all party events.

Meanwhile, TMC leaders insist that a desperate BJP is playing 'copycat'. Education minister Partha Chatterjee, patron of several puja clubs in his constituency Behala, says the festival is just a big opportunities for TMC workers and leaders to engage with the people. The minister says "the idea is to give the masses a fair share of enjoyment".

Like Chatterjee, many others like PWD minister Aroop Biswas, urban development minister Farid Hakim and panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee patronise the bigger puja clubs where it's common to even fly in Bollywood celebrities to add to the glamour quotient. The real crowdpuller, though, is CM Mamata Banerjee, who takes a break from official work to drop in at various pandals.

This time around, even the Left parties plan to be out there hoping to have a piece of the 'puja pie'. "Even though we cannot directly participate, our cadre will help in crowd management and we'll set up drinking water stalls," says CPI(M) state committee and state secretariat member Robin Deb.