BJP’s ‘bhadralok’ candidates turn TMC bastions saffron | India News
KOLKATA: The ‘gentleman’ neighborhoods of north and south Kolkata – considered impregnable strongholds of the TMC for more than a decade – decisively overturned these elections, revealing a metropolitan electorate that has traded its traditional loyalties for a “fresh start” under the BJP.Prof Maidul Islam said, “The demographics have changed in 15 years. Non-Bengali voter turnout has increased in Kolkata. Then, there are high-rises, where residents are attracted to the idea of having the same party at the Center and the state. The consciousness of young voters is social media, mainstream movies and serials, which act as direct propaganda.”Over the years the BJP was termed as ‘Bahiragat (Bahiragat)’. In 2026, its deployment of “intellectual insiders” was instrumental in sanitizing its image for a cosmopolitan palate. The election of journalist and Padma Bhushan awardee Swapan Dasgupta and doctors like Sharadwat Mukherjee in Bidhannagar and Indranil Khan in Behala West for culturally sensitive seats like Rashbehari helped bridge the gap between the party’s saffron roots and ‘gentleman’ claims for sophistication.‘Gentleman’ is a colloquial term referring to the well-heeled gentleman of the town.“We are seeing the consolidation of a neo-middle class that is less connected to the Left legacy or the early TMC years,” says political scientist Saini Chaudhary.Political analyst Udayan Banerjee said the appointment of Samik Bhattacharya as the BJP’s state chief was a strategic move, as he was an intellectual figure. “Seeing candidates who speak our language – literally and intellectually – feels like the BJP is imposing on Delhi,” says a resident of south Kolkata.
