The scent of incense mingles with fresh paint as artisans put finishing touches on a most unusual Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata.
Inside, behind makeshift iron bars, fibreglass figures crouch in a replica prison cell. Above them, Bengali letters hang trapped in bird cages—a pointed metaphor for what organisers call attacks on their language and identity.
Across the city in central Kolkata, another set of artisans assemble battle tanks and fighter jets for a starkly different political statement.
The military hardware, part of a theme called “Operation Sindoor,” represents the other side of what will be captured in Durga puja pandals this year.
As Bengal’s biggest festival begins on Monday, puja committees across Kolkata have transformed their celebrations into statements of political allegiance, with some embracing Bengali regional identity while others project nationalist themes—reflecting the broader divide between the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
For decades, puja pandals in Bengal have served as mirrors to the political and cultural anxieties of their time—from partition and independence to economic liberalisation and linguistic pride. This year’s themes capture the state’s current preoccupations as Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee positions Bengali pride as her party’s central message for the 2026 assembly elections amid an escalating war of words with the BJP over treatment of Bengali workers in BJP-governed states.
At the Japur Jayshree Dum Dum club, organisers preparing for their inaugural puja have invited six migrant workers from North 24 Parganas district—men who returned home after facing difficulties in other states—to inaugurate their pandal.
“In multiple cases Bengali migrant workers have been arrested in other states and they were threatened that they would be held at detention camps. We have set up a replica of a lockup inside the pandal. Human models, made of fibreglass, would be placed behind the bars. Also, in a bid to portray the attack on Bengali language we would hang bird cages from the ceiling and Bengali alphabets would be kept in the cages,” said Sanjay Das, president of the organising committee.
Similar departure from traditional religious motifs will be on display at the Santosh Mitra Square pandal, in the central part of the state capital, organised by BJP municipal councillor Sajal Ghosh — here, replicas of military installation will offer vision of power and patriotism.
“We have chosen Operation Sindoor as the theme. There would be light and sound effects to give the impression of a warzone in the mountains,” said Ghosh, who represents ward 50 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
But beyond these politically connected themes are other committees, who have chosen their own approaches to Bengali identity. At Baguihati, the 45-year-old Ashwininagar Bandhumahal Club has opted for a more sweeping cultural narrative.
“We will be showcasing the entire journey of Bengal and Bengali from the very beginning as the theme of our pandal. We will use paintings, iron-work and sculpture to establish the entire chain of events – the various dynasties that ruled Bengal, the British rule and the freedom struggle till present times,” said Swarup Nag, the club’s treasurer.
Banerjee has signalled that cultural identity will anchor her party’s campaign for the next assembly polls. This year, the chief minister sweetened the political pot by increasing state grants for community clubs from ₹85,000 to ₹1.10 lakh each. The largesse flows to organisers of approximately 3,000 pujas in Kolkata and 42,000 more across districts—a substantial constituency in a state where festival committees wield considerable social influence.
In north Kolkata, the Dakshinpara Yuva Parishad has chosen to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, the stirring anthem penned by Bengali renaissance figure Bankim Chandra Chatterjee—a theme that bridges regional pride with national heritage. “A section of the pandal would be decorated with kites, each having a picture of a freedom fighter from Bengal. Events from the freedom struggle will be screened with the help of a projector. A huge cut out of the word ‘Maa’ will be placed in the pandal,” said Surojit Saha, secretary of the organising committee.
The political positioning around Durga Puja has gained momentum since UNESCO recognised the Kolkata festival as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2021, elevating its profile beyond Bengal’s borders.
The BJP initially sought to claim space in this cultural arena, launching its own Durga Puja in 2020 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurating celebrations at the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre. The move marked the first time a prime minister had inaugurated a Durga Puja in Bengal.
But the party’s enthusiasm waned after capturing only 75 of Bengal’s 294 assembly seats in 2021. Former state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar inaugurated what he called the party’s final puja in 2022, effectively ceding the cultural battlefield.
The political chess match has now devolved into accusations over who bears responsibility for mixing religion with politics.
“Most of the BJP leaders are not associated with any Durga puja committee. They have lost touch with the masses. For them the Durga puja is just election marketing. The top leaders come only when elections approach,” Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh told the media.
BJP leader Rahul Sinha fired back: “The BJP doesn’t want to mix puja and politics. It is the TMC’s work. They have stooped to such levels that they are now engaged in puja politics. They know that their end is nearing and that’s why they are doing petty and narrow politics in every field.”
