Bengal's handloom saris in campaign mode, war of symbols find unlikely canvas in Santipur
Telegraph | 6 April 2026
If it's the Bengal elections, can the sari be far behind?
Handloom saris of Santipur, Nadia, have become politically charged weaves ahead of the Assembly elections. And an enterprising printer-designer, Raju Das, 41, is making hay while the poll season shines.
At his workshop in Santipur, Das is creating saris for both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP. Each is priced ₹240 and he is flooded with "bulk orders" from both camps.
The Trinamool saris have its symbol, motifs of welfare schemes and the tagline "Jotoi koro hamla, abar jitbe Bangla (No matter how much you attack, Bengal will win again).
The BJP saris bear the lotus symbol.
Both creations are runaway sensations, Das, who buys handloom saris in bulk from weavers and then prints the election messaging on them, said.
In a state where cultural identity and electoral messaging frequently intersect, these saris have emerged as both attire and assertion for women in politics.
"The demand is unprecedented this time. Orders have been pouring in from local leaders and organisers of both Trinamool Congress and the BJP from across the state," he said.
"As the campaign gathers momentum, these handloom saris emblazoned with party symbols and narratives have turned into a fad among women workers," he added.
The saris are more than political, he added, they are rooted in “Bangaliana (the Bengali ethos)".
"I only use the traditional taant cotton handloom," Das said, referring to the saris that blend electoral messaging with a cultural aesthetic that resonates deeply with Bengali identity.
That's why these saris are favoured by both the parties, said the canny entrepreneur.
“Protection and promotion of Bengali culture is one of the main issues in this year's Assembly elections. So I have tried to provide a traditional touch of Bengali culture in these saris. The base is pure taant, Bengal's cotton handloom. I started creating these on a small scale, not primarily with any commercial objective. But once my creations became viral through social media, orders started pouring in from political parties,” Das said.
The contrast in design philosophy mirrors the differing campaign strategies of the two parties.
While the BJP variant largely features repetitive lotus motifs in varying sizes, the Trinamool version is more graphically layered, showcasing an array of government welfare schemes interwoven with party symbols, turning the fabric into a narrative scroll of governance and outreach.
With orders already crossing 15,000, the saris have moved beyond a poll novelty to a full-fledged campaign accessory.
"I am very busy now, sending bulk consignments to multiple districts, including north Bengal, based on requisitions from party functionaries," he said.
Though he refrained from disclosing client-wise figures, sources indicated that the BJP might currently be ahead in the distribution of these saris, leveraging a more structured supply chain through wholesalers aligned with the party.
For both camps, the sartorial strategy is calibrated.
Dinesh Roy, vice-president of the BJP’s Santipur town committee, said: “Such saris are being sent to different areas so that dedicated party workers can wear them during rallies and nomination submissions to appear organised and united. We are also encouraging our women workers to use them even during daily chores to make an impact among women voters.”
In 2020, before the last Assembly polls, the BJP had faced embarrassment when its women’s wing leader and fashion designer Agnimitra Paul introduced a lotus-themed sari for sale, triggering criticism over the commercialisation of political symbolism. This time, the BJP sari is modest and rooted in taant.
Santipur's Trinamool leader Manoj Sarkar said the saris were regularly dispatched across the state, but mostly to Calcutta.
Das said that the two parties apart, individual customers also come to his workshop to buy these saris.
A woman, browsing through designs featuring the BJP’s lotus symbol at Das's workshop, said: "The beauty of democracy is that we can openly flaunt our party affiliation. We can wear the sari of our choice and support the party we wish to vote for."