In a dramatic escalation of pre-election hostilities, West Bengal’s Bhabanipur constituency became the epicenter of a poster-tearing controversy on Saturday. Ruling TMC alleged that BJP workers vandalized their campaign materials, including anti-BJP banners and pro-Mamata hoardings, in a bid to sabotage the Chief Minister’s home turf advantage.
Councillor Asim Basu mobilized local TMC cadres for a vocal demonstration right outside the local police station. ‘Everything was legally posted,’ he told reporters. ‘By the time we got there, the damage was done—posters shredded, banners in tatters, all aimed at our election momentum.’ A detailed complaint followed, listing suspected BJP affiliates.
BJP hit back hard, dismissing the claims as internal TMC infighting. They flipped the script, insisting their own posters of candidate Suvendu Adhikari were the real targets of TMC aggression. Complaints flew both ways to Kalighat police station, leaving law enforcement to sift through the political debris.
Bhabanipur holds strategic importance: Mamata will launch her statewide campaign here Monday, while BJP eyes it as a prestige fight alongside Nandigram. This tit-for-tat vandalism highlights the raw nerves as parties ramp up grassroots warfare. With elections looming, such clashes could define voter sentiments in this pivotal Kolkata seat. Police urge calm, but the poster skirmish foreshadows a bruising electoral showdown.