2026 polls: Lord Jagannath’s prasad new sweetener to woo voters
The Statesman | 26 June 2025
In a sign of rising political temperatures ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, a new cultural-religious game of one-upmanship has started between the ruling Trinamul Congress and the opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party — over the sacred prasad of Lord Jagannath.
On Wednesday, Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari announced that mahaprasad from the famed Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, would be transported to the Gauranga Mahaprabhu temple in Tamluk and distributed to the people over five days. Adhikari, speaking at a Press conference in Kolkata, framed the initiative as both spiritual and symbolic. “Our aim is to bring the blessings of Lord Jagannath to the people of Bengal,” Adhikari said. “In a state where democracy is being throttled, where dissent is punished, and where truth has become a casualty under Mamata Banerjee’s rule, it is time to reclaim our cultural and spiritual roots.”
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The BJP has not disclosed whether the distribution will span all districts, but the move has been interpreted as a counter to a massive prasad-distribution drive recently launched by the state government.
Earlier this month, the state government began distributing prasad from the newly-inaugurated Jagannath temple in Digha. The campaign, coordinated in part with ISKCON, aims to reach over 1.04 million households across the state. “Approximately 300 kilograms of khoa were sent from the Digha temple to each district,” said Radharamn Das, vice-president and spokesperson for ISKCON Kolkata. “These were combined with fresh khoa at select sweet shops to produce sanctified sweets that are being distributed door-to-door.” While the initiative has been billed as a cultural outreach, critics argue that both parties are using religious symbolism to influence public sentiment ahead of the polls. “Faith is being politicised,” said a political observer, adding, “In a state with a history of religious pluralism, this competition over prasad may deepen existing fault lines.”
Adhikari also used the occasion to launch a sharp critique of the state government, accusing it of running an “undeclared Emergency” in the state. “There is no space for dissent, no freedom of speech, and no democracy left in West Bengal,” he said. “Anyone who questions the government is silenced, jailed, or targeted.” The Trinamul Congress has so far not officially responded to Adhikari’s remarks, though insiders dismiss the allegations as politically motivated. Observers believe the prasad rivalry is a prelude to a more intense battle over Bengal’s cultural and religious identity — one that could shape electoral narratives in the months ahead.