West Bengal’s political battleground flared up on Tuesday as the ruling Trinamool Congress hit back at the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Hindutva-driven campaign with its own set of pointed slogans.

The BJP on Monday in an overt appeal to Hindu unity ahead of next year’s state elections set the stage, plastering parts of Chinsurah in Hooghly district with banners reading, “Hindu Hindu Bhai Bhai, 2026 e BJP ke Chai” (Hindus are brothers, we will need BJP in 2026).

By Tuesday, the TMC had responded in kind, unfurling counter-slogans across north Kolkata, including the bustling Shyambazar crossing.

The ruling party co-opted the BJP’s rhetoric but turned it into a critique of the party’s policies: “Hindu Jodi Bhai Bhai, Gas-e Kyano Chhar Nai” (If Hindus are brothers, why is there no relief from cooking gas prices?), read one banner.

Another questioned the lack of representation for Bengal in the Union Cabinet: “Hindu Hindu Bhai Bhai, Kintu Bangali Purno Mantri Nai.”

The war of words marks the opening salvo of what is expected to be a fierce battle for Bengal in 2026, with the TMC seeking to undercut the BJP’s narrative while accusing the party of using religion as an electoral tool.

“The so-called Hindu brotherhood of the BJP only appears when elections are near,” said Debangshu Bhattacharya, head of the TMC’s IT cell. “At other times, the only bhais they recognise are people like Mehul bhai.”

His pointed remark referenced fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi.

The BJP, in turn, accused the TMC of stoking communal tensions. “These banners are an act of desperation,” said BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya.

“The TMC is trying to play both sides — posing as Hindu sympathisers while appeasing fundamentalist forces.”

With Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reviving the Khela Hobe (Let’s Play) slogan and warning of protests against alleged voter disenfranchisement, the state’s election battle has begun in earnest — long before a single vote is cast.