Durga Puja becomes new battleground for BJP factions in Bengal
Murder of Baruipur BJP worker highlights growing factional rivalry over influential puja committees, with similar disputes reported across other parts of state
The murder of a BJP worker in Baruipur, allegedly by fellow party members on Sunday night (August 23), exposed a new fault line within West Bengal’s ruling party, with rival factions battling for control of Durga Puja committees.
Bapi Pramanik (45) died after sustaining serious injuries in a clash in North Tangebedia under Baruipur police station.
Police said two groups had clashed over the formation of a puja committee. Pramanik was injured in the violence and later died in hospital. Four people have since been arrested, including a suspended BJP leader, Sujan Mondal.
Growing trend of factionalism within BJP
The killing has laid bare a growing trend of factionalism within the BJP, with rival groups in different parts of the state increasingly competing for control of Durga puja committees. Pramanik’s family alleged that he was deliberately targeted, and accused Mondal of being behind the attack. The police also maintained that the immediate trigger was a dispute over the formation of the puja committee.
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The Baruipur incident was not isolated, as similar disputes over control of puja committees have recently surfaced among BJP leaders and supporters elsewhere in the state.
Rival BJP groups clash in Entally
In Kolkata’s Entally, rival BJP groups clashed earlier this month over who would organise and control a proposed Durga puja at Padmapukur Park. The puja’s khuti, or ceremonial post marking the start of pandal construction, was uprooted after the ceremony, while banners were removed and the municipal park was subsequently locked by a section of BJP workers.
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The dispute then spilled into the police station, with a rival group protesting the removal of the khuti and locking the main entrance in protest against what it claimed was police inaction.
The police later filed an FIR recording the allegations and questioned several people, including BJP workers and a public prosecutor associated with one of the factions.
Turf war despite party message
The turf war among BJP leaders for control of committees appears to undermine the party’s earlier assertion that it does not believe in taking over puja committees or clubs.
State BJP president Shamik Bhattacharya had sent a clear message to party leaders that political figures should not take charge of one puja committee after another.
“Political leaders should not go out and take charge of one puja after another,” Bhattacharya said.
“The clashes over puja committees show that political influence over these local institutions remains deeply rooted. Despite the BJP’s stated position that its leaders should not take over puja committees, the competition for control shows how party influence and personal interests continue to influence these community events,” said political commentator and veteran journalist Amal Sarkar.
Swapan Dasgupta intervenes in south Kolkata dispute
The scramble for control of puja committees is not limited to factional battles within the BJP. In some places, tensions have also emerged between BJP-linked groups and existing puja organisers.
A dispute over control of a prominent puja also surfaced at Deshapriya Park in south Kolkata. The existing puja committee alleged that a group linked to the BJP tried to take control of the committee and that its members were threatened. The rival side disputed the allegation and questioned the existing committee’s legitimacy.
The dispute eventually drew the intervention of BJP MLA and state finance minister Swapan Dasgupta, who urged those involved to keep politics out of the puja.
BJP vs existing committees
In Baranagar, Biswanath Chakraborty, treasurer of the Darjipara-Niyogipara Durgotsav Welfare Association, alleged that a section of the BJP sought to take control of the puja committee and pressured him to hand over its documents and bank papers. He was later assaulted outside his shop.
A police complaint named BJP Baranagar-2 mandal president Sanjay Adhikari and six others in connection with the assault. Adhikari, however, denied the allegations.
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In Malda’s English Bazaar, residents of Krishnapally’s Gosai Maidan alleged that BJP councillor Krishna Nath and her supporters opposed their attempt to organise a Durga Puja.
Residents who spoke to The Federal alleged that a meeting over the proposed puja turned into an altercation and that the councillor threatened to stop the event. Nath denied the allegations.
Importance of puja committees in Bengal
The disputes demonstrate the political and financial importance of puja committees in Bengal. They have long served as influential neighbourhood community organisations, connecting local leaders with residents, clubs, and businesses, while large committees also handle substantial funds from sponsorships, donations, and other sources.
During the TMC regime, the BJP had repeatedly accused the ruling party of using political influence to control pujas and alleged financial irregularities in some committees.
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For the BJP, which has now come to power, gaining influence over these community networks could provide wider organisational benefits, particularly at the local and booth levels.
“Puja committees can give political leaders access to neighbourhood organisers, youth groups, local businesses, and influential residents who can help mobilise people beyond the festival season,” said a BJP committee secretary who declined to be named to avoid political repercussions.
Building a grassroots network
For the BJP, building such links could strengthen a grassroots network that the party needs to consolidate its presence in the state.
“The problem for the BJP is that it faces a delicate contradiction. It wants to expand its political influence after coming to power, but it also needs to ensure that community institutions do not become another arena for intra-party rivalry,” pointed out another political commentator Nirmalya Banerjee.
He said if disputes over puja committees continue to lead to clashes, assaults, and deaths, Durga Puja could lose its character as a community festival and become a new battleground for internal rivalry within the BJP.
