The City of Joy voted today with a lot of enthusiasm. Voting was peaceful barring in some pockets, which saw disturbances. Compared to the last Assembly polls in 2021, this time it seemed to be a breeze. The city wore a deserted look, streets looked serene and only a few horns blaring disturbed the silence.
The Bengali Bhadralok voted, so did people in the city fringes. This election, mind you, had been billed as a battle to retain the ‘Bangaliana’ or the Bengali Asmita (pride) by the Trinamul. Quite a few city-bred Bhadralok(s) believe that there would be restrictions on what they eat and wear if the saffron party has its say. This thought, of course, is shared within close circles. The few who think otherwise were at pains to explain that is not the case in other BJP-ruled states. The debate ended without conclusion.
Hazra in south Kolkata, a sub-locality of Kalighat, saw peaceful voting. “There was no disturbance at our place unlike Bhawanipore,” said one of the Gujarati residents living in a highrise. “There is less fear in the minds of my co-inhabitants this time,” said the resident. There is a hawa (wind of change) this time, said another resident.
Another resident shared that the volunteers from Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh had been meeting the city’s Gujarati residents in the run-up to the election. But, there are many in our ‘samaj’ (community) who have a dislike for our Prime Minister, said another member of the community, who also voted today.
At Sonarpur, in South 24-Parganas, the mood was more of a celebration. Many here felt that the ruling party has to be voted back to repel any outside interference. The lower-middle class was more at ease with the Trinamul Congress. One resident, a retired scientist, who went to south Kolkata to vote with his family (where he lived earlier) was happy with the arrangements by the Election Commission of India. “My name and my family members have names in the voter rolls and we must ensure that we vote to exercise our franchise,” he said.
At Salt Lake, part of Bidhannagar constituency, people voted early. Many of the residents could be seen trooping to the booths early in the morning. There was a festive mood. Standing in a queue in one of the booths, yours truly saw many happy faces. The area has a considerable presence of the Marwari community. They came in groups as many of them are part of joint families. One of them said: “Iss baar kuch alag hai (this time it’s different).” When asked what he meant by “different”, he did not specify.
Another resident, a retired public sector bank officer from a neighbouring block, had especially flown down to the city to vote. “In the past I have missed voting on a few occasions, but this time I had to come and vote,” she said, amplifying the importance of using her franchise after the SIR.
At Gopalpur in Haroa, North 24-Parganas, a second-time voter said during the SIR exercise, the local Trinamul Congress workers were very cooperative so that no one missed out. “They helped us at every step after my mother and I were called for a hearing. My mother could not get her name enlisted but my father and I voted,” said the young girl, who works in a private firm.
If the voters kept their faith in democracy, a couple of young girls, who were enjoying their ‘holiday’ today, when asked about the festival of democracy, put their thumbs down to it. “It is a waste of time to pick a leader and a party. None have good credentials. We are disappointed by the way elections are conducted now,” said the Class X girl.
The guardians of democracy need to ponder about its future if the gen-Z do not feel the urge to vote.