Kolkata: Bhowanipore, long known for its quiet polling days and indifferent turnout among its affluent voters, witnessed an unusually charged election on Wednesday, as high drama, heavy security presence, and an energised electorate reshaped the constituency's voting culture.
The upscale pockets of the VIP seat, home to upper- and upper-middle-class residents who traditionally treated polling day as a low-stakes civic exercise, saw serpentine queues, determined voters, and an intensity rarely associated with the constituency.
The shift was underscored by a record turnout of 86.6% till 9 pm, a dramatic jump from 57.5% in the 2021 bypoll, when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee secured a thumping victory margin of nearly 59,000 votes. Earlier elections recorded significantly lower participation, with turnout at 66.8% in 2016 and 44.7% in the 2011 bypoll.
Residents attributed the surge not just to heightened political stakes but also to an unprecedented on-ground presence of top leaders. For the first time in recent memory, Banerjee conducted booth visits, even camping on the streets, while BJP challenger Suvendu Adhikari mirrored the aggression with his own rounds, leading to confrontations with Trinamool supporters and a visibly tense atmosphere.
"Bhowanipore voted very differently this year," said Debasis Guha Niyogi, who arrived at a booth in St Xavier's College with his family. "Earlier, people skipped voting for trivial reasons - heat, rain or queues. This time, we waited for the rain to stop and came out to cast vote."
For many, the spectacle unfolding on TV screens translated into a sense of urgency on the ground. "CM camping on road and both sides making frequent booth visits is something we have never seen here," said Sanjay Rae of Ballygunge.
Gaurav Jain, recovering from an accident, arrived at his booth on crutches, while Rusha Hazra flew in from Delhi just to vote, returning the same night despite a crucial work commitment. "I have an important presentation to make on Thursday. But even then I didn't skip voting in the year of SIR," said Hazra.
Areas like Ekbalpore, Mominpore, and Collins Lane - traditionally high-turnout zones - saw even longer queues than usual. At 3:30 pm, there was a queue of over 150 outside Little Hearts Junior School in Ekbalpore. "I have never seen an election like this," said Md Daud, a Mominpore-based businessman.
