KOLKATA: The crown is gone, and the fortress lies bare. Less than 24 hours after the Bharatiya Janata Party's sweeping victory in West Bengal and the shocking defeat of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in her stronghold Bhowanipore, a quieter but equally symbolic transformation unfolded on the streets of Kolkata.
The elaborate security grid that for years defined the approach to Didi's residence at 30B Harish Chatterjee Street in Kalighat began to dissolve with striking speed. Along Harish Chatterjee Street, near Hazra crossing, metal scissor barricades that once carved the road into controlled corridors were dragged aside and stacked along the edges. The police personnel who regulated entry, stopping residents and passers-by for questioning, were conspicuously absent by morning.
For locals, the transformation was immediate and almost disorienting. A neighbor of Mamata Banerjee remarked, "We had to slow down, answer questions, and carry Aadhaar cards. Relatives had to take detours, and we often alerted the cops in advance about their arrival." Another resident, Tarun Chatterjee, rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "When I was passing by Didi's house today, I couldn't believe my eyes. The usual hustle and bustle were missing. Then I saw bikes and cars moving freely. As I drove past Mamata's house, no one questioned me," he said.
Narrow alleys connecting Harish Chatterjee Street to Kalighat Road, which had been sealed off for years in the name of security, were also reopened, restoring routes that had remained inaccessible. Sudip Karmakar, another resident, expressed mixed feelings: "It was difficult for us to enter our own homes because of the high-profile security. While we feel sad for our VVIP resident, we are also relieved."
Not far away, security layers were peeled off outside the home of Mamata's nephew Abhishek Banerjee, who is the Trinamool Congress general secretary and a Member of Parliament. Police deployment was also scaled down outside Abhishek's office on Camac Street in central Kolkata.
The rollback of this security architecture, which had been in place since Mamata's second term in 2016, came on the heels of a political upset that few had anticipated. For more than 15 years, Bhowanipore had been the unshakeable TMC fortress, where electoral contests often felt like formalities.
