West Bengal Elections 2021 | Will They Cast Their Vote Or Vote Their Caste?
The Marwaris came and settled in Bengal much before the Britishers. Jagat Seth was a chief right-hand-man of Mirza Muhammad Siraj-ud-Daulah - the last independent Nawab of Bengal. In fact, he was the one who managed all the economy and accounts related to the state under the Nawab.
West Bengal capital Kolkata is the city of Bengalis is a universal truth. Many may also be aware of the fact the Marwari community constitutes a large part of the population in Kolkata. Many Marwaris from Rajasthan have settled in different parts of the city long before independence, be it for business or any other purpose. The domination of Gujaratis can be noticed in western India. Similarly, the ‘Marwari Kingdom’ has been settled in eastern India. Although it started in eastern India, the dominance of the Marwari community has gradually increased throughout the country. One of the reasons for this is their sharp intellect in the business sector. The community of Rajasthan has easily cemented its place on the country’s trade map.
The Marwaris came and settled in Bengal much before the Britishers. Jagat Seth was a chief right-hand-man of Mirza Muhammad Siraj-ud-Daulah - the last independent Nawab of Bengal. In fact, he was the one who managed all the economy and accounts related to the state under the Nawab.
Marwaris initially made their foray in Calcutta after the Battle of Plassey in 1757 when the victorious East India Company started expanding its trade. Around 1840, they started coming en masse. While import and export was in the hands of the British, the Marwaris took upon themselves the role of distributors. One senior executive of a big Marwari Firm puts it in this way: “In today’s business vocabulary, the Marwaris looked after the supply line management of the British agency houses.”
Speculation in the market is another part of trading and Marwaris showed special acumen. Slowly, they were drawn into jute trade, especially trading in raw jute. The traders from Java, Sumatra and Bali would come to Kolkata for trade and commerce. With Bengalis being the least business-minded people on the surface of the earth, so a community which would be able to get all the trade benefits was needed. Hence, came in the Marwaris, who slowly but steadily flourished almost an empire here. Culturally, the articulate Bengalis haven't really been all comfortable with the crude, money-minded Marwaris. Well that happens almost everywhere. Marwaris have little smoke little fire! And call it infiltration or whatever, they have inhabited in almost every part of the country and beyond.
The new generation in Bengal is more interested in start-up business. The picture has gradually changed a lot over the last 50 to 60 years. Earlier, the Bengalis were more interested in jobs than business. At the end of the month, they were happy with their salary because it is not possible for everyone to take the risk of going into business. But that has changed a lot now as the Bengalis are gradually moving towards business.
Jorasanko, Posta-Burrabazar, Manicktala and Shyampukur assembly segments have considerable Hindi-speaking voters and members of the Bihari and Marwari communities. Entally and Esplanade areas have a sizeable number of Christian voters as well. The Hindutva sentiment is slowly creeping into Kolkata North area with more and more Hanuman temples coming up in various areas.
According to observers, the Left Front, which ruled Bengal from 1977 to 2011, mobilised the backward sections for political purposes but not in the name of caste. The communists tried empowering the lower castes against the social elite and wealthy, who they called class enemies. In a way, this class tension took a toll on Bengal’s development and economy in the long run with many industries moving away from the state, especially due to strikes and protests by labour unions dominated by lower castes.
Bengali And Other Castes In Kolkata
Starting from the North. If you go to areas like Kamurtuli, Dum Dum, Shyambazar, Belghoria, Belgachia, Dakshineshwar, Baranagar, Sinthee and Kalighat besides others, you will find 60 to 70 percent are Bengalis. But if you go to areas like Rajabazar, Shobhabazar, Bagbazar, Ultadanga, Kankurgachi, Chitpur and Cossipore, you will find Bengali population is half at only 30 to 35 percent. Posta, Jorasanko, Maniktala and Phoolbagan areas have 50 percent Bengali population.
Coming to the East, it has a significant Bengali population but variations are there. If you go to areas like Tangra, Patuli, Anandapur and Santoshpur, they have 90 percent Bengalis. In Salt Lake, EM bypass, New Town-Rajarhat, Mukundapur, Survey Park and Metropolitan township, it goes to 75 percent. In Lake Town, Topsia etc., it goes to 20–30 percent. Kasba, Dhapa, Birati etc have 50 percent Bengalis.
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Following down to the South, you will find Bengali population is high in this part. Ballygunge, Gariahat Dhakuria etc. have 90 percent Bengalis. Similarly, Tollygunge, Jadhavpur, Jodhpur Park, Rashbehari area, Southern Avenue etc have 90 percent Bengalis. Behala, Lake Gardens, New Adipose have around 80 percent Bengalis. Alipore has around 60–70 percent Bengalis. Other areas also have 70 percent + Bengalis.
The Central is truly cosmopolitan and the Bengali population is 20 percent here. Khidderpore, Metiabruz, Park Circus, Watgange, Garden Reach and Entally have majority Muslims (Urdu). Burrabazar has 90 percent Marwaris. Bhawanipur is mixed with Gujarati and Punjabi. However, no community dominates in Park Street, Dharmatala, Bow Bazar, Esplanade and Camac Street as they are totally mixed up.
The Politics Of Caste
While Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee ousted the Left on the back of protests against land acquisition in Singur and Nandigram, she focused on doles for backward sections and what the BJP calls “appeasement” of Muslims after coming to power. The BJP, on the other hand, saw the latter as an opportunity to consolidate the Hindu votes.
In 2014, Dilip Ghosh, then an active Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker, was appointed the state general secretary. A year later, he was promoted as the state party president. Under his leadership, the BJP extensively worked on mobilising Hindu Bengalis irrespective of their caste even as the ruling party played the “Bangaliana (Bengaliness)” card in order to reach out to all castes and religions.
The BJP strategy worked well in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It secured nearly 57 percent of the Hindu votes against the 32 percent secured by the TMC. The BJP won 18 of the state’s 42 Lok Sabha, only four fewer than the TMC’s 22. A large section of the Matuas is believed to have supported the BJP for its commitment to implementing CAA. However, 70 percent of the Muslim voters in the state opted for the TMC in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
In the 2016 West Bengal Assembly polls, Banerjee’s TMC won 211 of the 294 seats. The Muslims then played a key role in 98 constituencies with their vote share in these seats ranging from about 20 to 30 percent.
(The author works as Deputy Producer with ABP Ananda, Kolkata)
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