The Parivartan Yatra of the BJP, which entered Malda district on Saturday night, deliberately avoided several Muslim-majority assembly constituencies, underlining yet again the party’s focus on consolidating Hindu votes ahead of the Assembly elections.
The Yatra skipped Harishchandrapur, Chanchal, Malatipur, and Ratua Assembly segments under Malda Uttar Lok Sabha constituency and the Mothabari segment under Malda Dakshin Lok Sabha constituency, political analysts noted.
“The route appears to signal the BJP’s reliance on Hindu voters while acknowledging the limited likelihood of winning support of Muslim voters in these areas,” said a political science professor at the Gour Banga University.
The saffron “rath” — a bus decked up as a ceremonial chariot — arrived at Pakuahat in Habibpur Assembly on Saturday night.
On Sunday, the Yatra traversed Kendpur, Bulbulchandi, and Aiho, areas where the BJP has traditionally performed well, including the 2019 Lok Sabha and the 2021 Assembly elections. Habibpur, with a tribal population of over 50 percent, is a BJP stronghold.
BJP supporters welcomed the Yatra at various stops. The Yatra culminated in a ceremonial meeting at Setu More in Maldaha Assembly, another BJP-leaning seat.
Following this, a rally was held in Gazole, addressed by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, who held an idol of Hanuman on stage. Gazole is a BJP stronghold.
In contrast, the Trinamool Congress retained Harishchandrapur, Chanchal, Malatipur, and Ratua in 2021 amid NRC-related anxieties. These constituencies have Muslim populations exceeding 50 per cent.
Observers noted that a significant number of the 8.28 lakh voters under adjudication also reside in these seats.
Pratap Singha, the BJP president of Malda North (organisational) district, dismissed claims of the religion-driven strategy.
“We have supporters in those constituencies, but law-and-order concerns made it risky to take the Yatra there. We respect all genuine Indian citizens, including Muslims who welcomed our ‘rath’ in Gazole,” he said.
In Malda Dakshin, the Yatra will cover Manikchak, Englishbazar and Baishnabnagar on March 9–10.
Baliadanga in Sujapur, a Muslim-majority area along NH12, will see the Yatra briefly. Mothabari, another Muslim-majority seat, will be bypassed. Baishnabnagar, with near-equal Hindu-Muslim demographics, will host three events, including a rally by BJP leader Dilip Ghosh.
Ajay Ganguly, the Malda Dakshin BJP president, insisted that the Yatra was inclusive. “It will be wrong to construe this as a Hindu-only campaign. But we will continue to voice concerns against intruders and those who do not take pride in being Indian,” he said.