Nandigram ground report: TMC’s ‘Hindu turn’ in battle to wrest Suvendu Adhikari’s seat

The 2007 anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram, along with the one in Singur, propelled Mamata Banerjee to the Chief Minister’s chair. In 2021, the CM lost narrowly to her former associate and current Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari from the constituency, making the contest this time an even bigger prestige battle. The TMC, copying from the BJP playbook, has pitted Adhikari’s former aide, Pabitra Kar, against him, even as Adhikari squares off against Mamata in her south Kolkata constituency of Bhabanipur.

As West Bengal heads to the first phase of polls on April 23, with campaigning ending Tuesday, Nandigram will be one of the most closely watched among the 152 constituencies going to vote. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

While the fallout of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the narratives of welfare politics and cultural battles play out in the rest of the state, in Nandigram, the conversation is about who is the “bigger Hindu”, Kar or Adhikari? With the TMC confident of retaining the support of Muslims, who make up 23% of the population, the party is trying to bring over a section of Hindus to its side. That is where the election will be won or lost, the party believes.

On the campaign trail, Kar targets his former boss, saying that, at every rally, Adhikari feels the need to declare himself a “Sanatani”. “I do not have to do that. No one else has to announce his identity; that is because he is fake.”

In Satangabari, Kar accuses Adhikari of forgetting his former colleagues and practising communal politics. “Suvendu Adhikari claims to be the guardian of Nandigram. Then why do those who fought with him during the land agitation still have so many cases against them? He never helped them. He has suddenly become religious. I have spent time in jail. After I win, we will make sure that you will not have any cases left. All he has done is introduce communal politics here.”

In Nandigram, the TMC is confident of retaining the support of Muslims, who make up 23% of the population. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

Playing up his Hindu credentials, Kar says at another meeting, “I started Ram Navami in Nandigram. Since then, Suvendu has been banking on such initiatives.”

Even as it tries to break the BJP’s hold on Hindu votes, the TMC has to ensure that the Indian Secular Force (ISF), linked to the popular Furfura Sharif pilgrimage site, does not divide the minority votes. “Do not give even one vote to the ISF. Muslims should be aware,” Kar says at a meeting.

Locals agree that the situation has changed over the years. At the horse race, Raqib Sheikh, a farmer and resident of Amdabad in Nandigram, says, “This is perhaps among the few occasions where both Hindus and Muslims are part of the crowd. Over the years, a line has been drawn. And tensions heighten during the poll season.”

On the campaign trail, Kar targets his former boss, saying that, at every rally, Adhikari feels the need to declare himself a “Sanatani”.. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

Jobs and migration

Talk of jobs has not completely disappeared in the region famous for the anti-land-acquisition movement that took place over two decades ago. Like in the rest of the state, jobs and migration are important issues. Many youths migrate to Metiabruz and Kidderpore in Kolkata, working as tailors in the garment shops. While the TMC campaign focuses on the Rs 1,500 monthly stipend for unemployed youth announced by the government before the polls, as well as flagship schemes such as Lakshmir Bhandar, the BJP talks of creating employment opportunities near home. Last year, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar announced that the Centre would invest Rs 2,000 crore to develop a state-of-the-art shipbuilding and repair facility in Nandigram’s Jellingham area.

While Adhikari shuttles between Nandigram and Bhabanipur and fulfils his campaign responsibilities elsewhere, his associates hold the fort in the constituency. At the BJP party office in Nandigram’s Birulia area, hectic preparations are underway for a motorbike rally.

While BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari shuttles between Nandigram and Bhabanipur and fulfils his campaign responsibilities elsewhere, his associates hold the fort in the constituency. (Express Photo: Partha Paul)

“So what if Dada (Suvendu) has to shuttle between Nandigram and Bhabanipur? We are here. He is addressing rallies and meetings here and in Kolkata. He is also addressing rallies in different parts of the state,” says Pralay Pal, the BJP’s area vice-president and Adhikari’s right-hand man.

Asked how this battle is different from 2021, Pal rattles off the talking points. “Everyone has seen what has happened in Bangladesh. How Hindus are being tortured there. How leaders there are threatening to grab our ‘seven sisters (Northeastern states)’ and the Chicken’s Neck (Siliguri Corridor). People will not allow Bengal to become Bangladesh.”

TMC is now trying to bring over a section of Hindus to its side. That is where the election will be won or lost, the party believes. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

One of Kar’s disadvantages is that his public profile is not as big as Adhikari’s. As the campaign kicked into high gear over the past few weeks, he ran from one booth to another each day, campaigning late into the evening. “He was the panchayat leader of the Boyal-I village in Nandigram-II Block. Not all voters know Kar. So, he has to visit every booth. Suvendu has an advantage,” admits a senior TMC leader.

Pal also refers to this, dismissing his former party colleague’s campaign. “Who is he? Apart from a small area, nobody knows him. He has to address street corners each day so that people get to know him. He is saying Mamata Banerjee lost (in 2021) due to alleged manipulation. But he was one of the counting agents of the BJP. Ask him what happened? On the other hand, everybody knows Suvendu Adhikari; everyone knows who is real and who is fake.”