With Ram Navami just days away, the BJP in West Bengal has intensified its Hindutva rhetoric, signalling a clear shift towards religious polarisation ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
Sangh Parivar leaders have planned around 2,000 processions, a significant increase from the 1,000 rallies held in 2024. According to RSS sources, this year’s celebrations will extend deep into rural areas, unlike previous years when they were largely confined to urban centres. Sources indicate that at least 100 processions will witness participation exceeding 25,000 people each, with many expected to surpass 35,000 attendees. BJP leaders see these rallies as a strategic move to consolidate Hindu votes in key districts where they believe the party can make significant gains compared to the 2021 Assembly polls. Suvendu Adhikari had earlier claimed that 50 lakh Hindus took part in last year’s Ram Navami processions, and he expects the turnout to cross one crore in 2025. The BJP’s increased focus on religious mobilisation reflects its strategy for the upcoming elections, where it hopes to make further inroads into West Bengal’s political landscape. However, the aggressive Hindutva push has also heightened communal tensions, prompting concerns over law and order.
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As Ram Navami approaches, the West Bengal administration is on high alert, deploying CCTV cameras and ramping up security measures to monitor the massive processions. While BJP leaders insist that these celebrations are purely religious, political observers view them as a calculated attempt to deepen communal divides in the state’s highly polarised electoral arena.
While the state police remain wary of the large-scale Ram Navami processions planned by RSS-affiliated groups, BJP’s top leadership has made it evident that it will aggressively pursue a divisive agenda to consolidate Hindu votes. Senior BJP leader and former state president Dilip Ghosh made a controversial statement, alleging that the Trinamul Congress has failed to uplift minorities in the state. “Trinamul does not benefit minorities; most of them remain backward,” Ghosh said. He further emphasised that BJP has every right to engage in Hindu-centric politics, stating: “If someone plays politics with Muslims, we will do it with Hindus. More than 70 per cent of the population here is Hindu.”
His remarks have sparked a fresh wave of political controversy, as the TMC and other opposition leaders condemned the divisive rhetoric. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, also ramped up the Hindutva narrative, declaring: “In 2026, a Hindu government will be formed.” Echoing the same sentiment, BJP leader and actor Mithun Chakraborty recently warned that if the saffron party fails to win the next election, “Hindu Bengalis will suffer greatly.” The BJP’s push for Hindutva is set to be reinforced through massive Ram Navami celebrations across the state on 6 April.