November 07, 2026

From Bhoy to Bhorsa: The Day Kolkata Held Its Breath

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2026-05-05 07:46:05

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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

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Such was the bhoy - fear - that the BJP campaign ads repeatedly talked about (Bhoy Out, Bhorsa In was the tagline) that for the first time in my life, I saw a totally lifeless Kolkata on the day the results were declared. Streets were largely deserted, most shops remained closed and people, fearing the worst despite the presence of Central forces, remained indoors. Societies had their gates firmly shut, allowing only residents to enter.

But, apart from a few spontaneous celebrations from the afternoon near party offices, and at city hotspots and on the streets on two-wheelers and cars bearing BJP flags later in the evening, the city was spared the dramatics and possible violence. This was largely due to the fact that Kolkata Police had issued a circular banning victory processions in the city on May 4. Also, PM Modi, in his address at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, had categorically said that the party needed badlav and not badla.

Otherwise, the scale of the BJP victory meant that party workers would have painted the city saffron. They would have been loud and, as many BJP workers themselves acknowledged, bent on giving back to the TMC what they had been receiving for the last ten years or more. The aggression would have multiplied later in the evening after Mamata Banerjee lost from Bhabanipur. Thankfully, the change PM Modi spoke of actually happened on the day, as BJP workers showed remarkable restraint.

If the state BJP listens to PM Modi and actually ushers in badlav, the people of the state might finally be rid of the violent politics that has become the hallmark of Bengal. Notably, for the first time, the elections were held without a single bullet being fired or a single life being lost - a fact that speaks for itself. Newly-elected MLA from Rashbehari, journalist-turned-politician Swapan Dasgupta, said in an interview that Bengal has turned into a beemaru state, and that the party must now work to restore it to health and fulfill the aspirations of its people. If the BJP heeds that advice, Bengal's violent political culture - the very bhoy that emptied Kolkata's streets on results day - may finally begin to loosen its grip on the state.