After films, football and Durga Puja, not necessarily in that order, people of Kolkata love club politics.

The upcoming elections for the office-bearers of Mohun Bagan, who have nothing to do with the game of football that for decades was identified in India with Kolkata, has for some reasons turned into a most-awaited battle.

The strings to what is happening on the stage are believed to be pulled by two of the most powerful politicians in Bengal, chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee – the Trinamool general secretary, Diamond Harbour MP and also the chief minister’s nephew.

Bengal has always been a binary state. Be it films, football or politics.

Debashis Dutta, the incumbent general secretary of Mohun Bagan, challenged by Bose. (Picture by Santosh Ghosh)

Pishi versus Bhaipo is one rivalry that has remained buried deep, mostly. Within the Trinamool circles and outside it is talked about in hushed tones, though no one really has a clue on what goes on between them.

Oftentimes a sulking distance and silence has been observed between the two. Abhishek today is what Mamata Banerjee was once upon a time to the Bengal Congress establishment.

Before the Lok Sabha polls and after that, Bengal’s most famous aunt has not seen eye to eye with her nephew on a number of issues. Abhishek wanted the Trinamool to shed the oldtimers, Mamata overturned it. The internal reforms that he had suggested were dumped; instead, Mamata took over the reins of the party.

In the aftermath of the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Abhishek was critical of the Kolkata Police.

Few months after the RG Kar incident, in his constituency, Diamond Harbour, Abhishek ran health camps parallel to the state health services. Mamata is believed to have not taken too kindly to it.

Last year, some of Abhishek’s closest aides took over the management of a Bengali daily, which has been critical of the state government. The state government has allegedly stopped issuing advertisements to the daily, a step that Mamata had taken in the past against other dailies which were critical of her government and party.

Those close to Mamata say it is also her way of stating that she is fair and is not giving any preferential treatment to a daily close to Abhishek.

Barely two weeks ago, when the Narendra Modi government picked rookie MP Yusuf Pathan as a member to a delegation going to South East Asian countries to explain India’s position against terrorism, Mamata put a stop to it. Instead, she suggested the name of Abhishek.

Billboard near Dum Dum railway station in favour of Srinjoy Bose, who is close to Mamata. (Amit Datta)

In the midst of all these is the Mohun Bagan election. The club management has little to do with football – the sport the club has been synonymous with for over a century. Five-and-half years ago, the club management outsourced all its football-related activities to the RPSG Group.

From signing of footballers, coaching staff, training equipment, salaries, travel, accommodation everything is handled by the company.

The club officials are vying for a place on the table that is no longer in their room.

Here Mamata has sided with the Bose family which has been associated with the Mohun Bagan club for generations. The Trinamool’s former Rajya Sabha MP Srinjoy Bose, also a former general secretary of the club, is pitted against the current general secretary, Debashis Dutta.

Following Mamata’s footsteps, ministers and MPs close to her have thrown their weight behind Bose. Dutta reportedly has the backing of Camac Street, now synonymous with Abhishek Banerjee. Swapan Sadhan Bose, more famous as Tutu Bose, the father of Srinjoy and a former Trinamool MP himself, is flying down from Dubai to attend the proceedings.

The rivalry between Bose and Dutta has its root in another soft spot for the Bengali minds: Durga Puja. Dutta was the president of Ballygunge Samaj Sebi, followed by Bose. While Bose was the president, Dutta was the working president.

Though the Mohun Bagan election date is yet to be announced, the filing of nominations will start from Friday. For withdrawal of nominations, two days in June – 12th and 13th – have been reserved.

Since Mamata caught the imagination of Bengal’s electorate, she has successfully crushed her rivals both in the Congress and later on in the Trinamool to become the unchallenged leader of both the party and the government.

Picture by Amit Datta

Abhishek, whom she had once pushed to the political platform, is the closest that she has to a rival – as well as an heir – right now.

The outcome of the Mohun Bagan polls will have no bearing on the fortunes of the football team on the field. If Dutta manages to retain his seat trumping Mamata’s choice, Srinjoy Bose, the ramifications of it in the political field of Bengal can only be imagined.