Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced that the state government will build a Mahakal (Shiva) temple in Siliguri, soon after she visited Mahakal Dham, an old and prominent temple in the hill town of Darjeeling.

Her announcement sparked cries of “temple politics”, as Opposition parties and political analysts were quick to dub it an attempt by the Trinamool Congress to draw votes on religious lines, keeping in mind the 2026 Assembly elections.

On Thursday morning, the chief minister ascended to Mahakal Dham, adjacent to the Chowrasta in Darjeeling, and offered puja there.

After descending from the temple, Mamata said: “We will build a Mahakal temple in Siliguri. I have asked the DM of Darjeeling to find out a suitable land for a convention centre in (and around) Siliguri. The new temple, which will have the largest Shiva (idol), will be next to the centre.”

She referred to the Jagannath Dham in Digha and the upcoming Durga Angan in New Town in Calcutta with an estimated expenditure of around ₹260 crore.

“For this temple (in Siliguri), it will take some time as we will have to form a Trust. The state government will provide the land free of cost,” said Mamata.

With Anit Thapa, chief executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) at her side, Mamata also asked him to introduce electric vehicles for physically challenged and elderly people who find it tough to ascend to the Mahakal Dham in the
hill town.

Soon after, Thapa said on social media that they were making arrangements for such vehicles for the devotees.

Mamata, who later took a flight to Calcutta, also said that the inflow of tourists has resumed in the hills.

“Tourists have started coming…. we welcome them and want them to visit the hills. Two roads connecting Darjeeling with Siliguri are open. The state government and different agencies are carrying out necessary repair and restoration works,” said the chief minister.

Mamata’s decision to build a Shiva temple in Siliguri has made the saffron camp react. “She is desperate to prove her closeness to Hinduism to draw votes. In Digha, the state has built a cultural centre in the name of a temple, and we think a similar facility would come up in Siliguri,” said Shankar Ghosh, the BJP MLA of Siliguri.

CPM leaders of the Darjeeling district, on the other hand, have questioned the state’s priority. “People in the hills and plains, who were affected by the natural disaster, had expected that the chief minister would entirely focus on their relief and rehabilitation. But Mamata Banerjee could not address their sufferings and instead announced the construction of a temple. How can this be a priority for the state government at this time?” said Saman Pathak, the CPM secretary of Darjeeling district.

Task force

The state government on Thursday announced the formation of a 20-member state-level task force to oversee relief, restoration, and reconstruction efforts in the flood and landslide-affected areas of both the hills and plains.

The decision to form the task force was taken following an instruction from the chief minister during an administrative meeting in Darjeeling. It includes state ministers like Moloy Ghatak, Aroop Biswas, and Udayan Guha, along with Siliguri mayor Gautam Deb, Anit Thapa and senior officials from state departments.

The senior special secretary of the state disaster management and civil defence department has been appointed its convener.

Under the notification issued by the chief secretary, the force will monitor progress, and supervise relief and reconstruction operations.