Temple politics in Bengal: How Mamata Banerjee has tried to compete with BJP’s ‘Jai Ma Kali’ push

New Delhi: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is often accused of appeasement politics by her opponents, feels that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has to chart new water as political temperature rises before the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections.In Bipol recently in the Kaliganj assembly segment of Nadia, the BJP, who lost the election, realized that the party had important takes from the results – the consolidation of Hindu votes. The Leader of the Opposition Suvendu and the leader said, “We are able to get the benefits of assimilating Hindu votes in the region. The effort has been paid as we have received an overwhelming majority of votes from areas like Palasi.”This probably tells Mamta’s recently visible herd towards soft Hindutva as she tries to improve a course. 250 crore rupees in April with the grand opening of Jagannath Dham, and now the announcement of the ‘Durga Angan’ project, Mamta is indicating a deliberate recurrence of her ideology story, which has been a prolonged dominance of the BJP for a long time.

‘Durga Aangan’ Gambit

With the West Bengal assembly elections of 2026, the Chief Minister has gone to the heart of the state’s cultural and religious identity with her announcement to create a ‘Durga Angan’, which is a grand year -long temple complex dedicated to Ma Durga. The head of TMC said, “As soon as we developed Jagannath Dham, we will make ‘Durga Angan’ so that people can see and experience it throughout the year.”Interestingly, the announcement occurs at a time when the BJP is rapidly implementing Bengal -centric religious symbols like ‘Jai Ma Kali’ and ‘Jai Ma Durga’ in the story of its campaign. On July 18, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called upon the Goddess -Goddess at the beginning of his speech in Durgpur as he said that the BJP is the only party that actually respected and protects Bengali ‘Ashmita’ (pride).Later, Banerjee, during the rally of the martyrs, targeted the PM directly during the rally and asked: “Why is it that you suddenly start remembering Ma Kali and Ma Durga during the elections? Ma Durga is our revered goddess, and Durga Puja has also received international recognition as an intangible cultural heritage.,However, CM did not give any time or details of the project.

BJP slam TMC Hindu symbolism

Soon after Mamta’s announcement, the BJP slammed the decision as unconstitutional, accusing public funds misuse to promote religion and has a political move to woo the votes of gravity traditionally towards the BJP.The Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Suvedu Officer asked, “A religious institute – temple, mosque, church or gurudwara – can be built using taxpayers’ money.” He accused Mamta of misusing public money and ignoring the constitutional benchmark.She further said, “She has not read the constitution, nor does she understand her religion. She should educate herself before making such a statement.”

TMC defends its trust credentials

TMC spokesperson Riju Dutta, in the Rebutal, pointed to Mamata Banerjee’s long -standing spiritual intimacy and said, “She demonstrated Kali Puja at home even before entering politics. The construction of temples like Jagannath Dham or Durga Aangan stems from real belief. “He also cited former state support for thousands of grassroots Durga Puja and acquired a UNESCO heritage tag for the festival as TMC’s long -term evidence of cultural connection.“She has supported thousands of grassroots Durga Pujas with financial grants and helped to secure UNESCO heritage for the festival. She also organizes the annual Durga Puja Carnival. Is it not counted? The BJP mocked Jagannath Dham as a ‘Theme Park’ and now questioned his faith, people will judge him, “he said.

Why temple projects for TMC matters

In West Bengal, BJP election campaigns have focused on alleged Muslim appeasement by TMC, attracted support from Hindu voters. It has been particularly effective in districts like Murshidabad, Malda, Nadia and North 24 Parganas.As the Mamta government fights in Murshidabad after a recent riots, raping in Kolkata Medical College and B-school, temple projects help in TMC’s dual strategy to combine soft Hindutva symbols with welfare politics. These steps also come at a time when the BJP has been brought to the Samik Bhattacharya, which is a staunch party loyal with deep RSS roots to lead the president of the BJP State Unit, which marks a strategic step by the central leadership to stabilize the state unit and prepare it for the 2026 assembly elections.Since the BJP’s 2021 assembly poll defeat, the organization has faced registration, infighting and failures in Baypol recently in Baypol in 2023 Panchayat Polls, 2024 Lok Sabha elections and 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 elections, TMC won 29 out of 42 seats in 2019 with about 43.3% to about 45.76% vote share; The BJP fell in 12 seats in 2019 with 40.7% to 38.73%.While TMC retains the profit, Mamta’s recent Hindu imagery appears in turn: a fence-firing strategy with Hindu voters, strengthening their base among minority groups and welfare beneficiaries.As Banerjee deploys himself in symbolism and cross-section of state resources, gambling can be well to woo the BJP’s Hindutva. For now, the election arithmetic is still in favor of TMC, but the game is tightening.In Bengal’s fast polarized politics, religious symbolism is now a common battleground, and Mamta is choosing to play crime.