For most voters in Bhabanipur, byelection only a formality

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is seeking entry to the Assembly from the constituency.

There was a time was when it was easy to slip into a lengthy conversation about politics with even rank strangers in Kolkata — and this was not a very long time ago. But today, when you ask people about the September 30 byelection in the city’s Bhabanipur constituency, where West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting to seek entry to the State Assembly, many of them excuse themselves saying they are “non-political”.

Their hesitance is understandable: the outcome of the election is a foregone conclusion and it is redundant to express an opinion, that too at a time when it is wise not to publicly take sides unless you belong to a political party.

Bhabanipur — or Bhowanipore — is as diverse as an Assembly seat can get. It may lie in the heart of Kolkata but it could pass off as mini-India. A large chunk of its population comprises non-Bengalis: Sikhs, Gujaratis, Marwaris, Marathis and Biharis. Many say this was why Ms. Banerjee, after registering successive victories from Bhabanipur in 2011 and 2016, chose to contest the 2021 election from Nandigram instead: she feared the non-Bengali votes would all go to the BJP following the aggressive campaign by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.