Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Case of the missing Locket

BJP candidate Locket Chatterjee on the campaign trail

Hooghly is both a river, and a fluid constituency in south Bengal, that's changed its colours, from red (CPM), white, blue (TMC), to saffron (BJP) - all within a decade and a half. Until which time, Hooghly, like much of West Bengal was, more or less, the land of the Left. Mamata Banerjee's TMC - besides having supporters inherited from the Congress, that Mamata broke away from, in 1998 - it is widely believed, also poached cadre from the CPI (M).

Especially once the Left Front government fell in 2011, after 34 years of the longest rule of any elected communist government in the world. There are zero MLAs from both the Left and the Congress in the current Bengal Assembly. What about the BJP? They went from two to 18 seats, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, in Bengal. And from three to 77 in the 2021 Assembly elections. The latter was seen as drubbing, only by those who can't read numbers, or the writing on the wall.

BJP workers Gautam and Rumeli at work

None of which adorned a lotus as late as 2019; zero seats in 2009. Which is why we've showed up at the suitably air-conditioned district headquarters of the BJP in Hooghly, three hours north of Kolkata. Simply to check on what's it like to be among new members of an old party, chilling on saffron chairs, with a fairly festive spirit in the air as lunch is getting cooked - anybody can drop in to eat - and campaign managers brief karyakartas/volunteers from the podium, mainly about stuff to distribute to crowds at the "road show" with the BJP candidate, Locket Chatterjee.

The roadshow, essentially a drive-through the constituency, that nobody in the office has a road map for, is about to commence. Locket is delayed by over two hours for her scheduled party meeting. Which is barely a concern, going by Bengal Standard Time. Soon as she enters in a saffron saree, Locket locks herself in a room, with her associates. There is no way to figure out when she will emerge.

Facebook is the battleground

That gives us infinite time to chit-chat with party's pramukh/high level workers - listening to younglings explain how much they have fun at work, as buddies Gautam and Rumeli play the fool behind their computers. Revealing to us how the campaign for their constituency, that goes to polls on May 20, really takes place inside those machines. Rather than as much on-ground, in the heat, anymore.

The BJP district headquarters from in the Hooghly constituency in south Bengal

Gautam says, "On the ground, there are all of 10-15 people from our end. But sitting incessantly on their computers, there are over 250 party workers for the constituency, cutting videos, making reels, relaying messages, round-the-clock, for Locket-ji." Besides, he says, there are 15 people, whose job it is to make phone calls to presumably older constituents, generally keeping in touch, with info on upcoming events.

A poster at the party office, branded, ‘NaMo for new voters', with the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has a phone number to place a missed call, for help with elections. "The actual battleground is Facebook," Rumeli says. She instantly adds, "No; can never take you there," once we request a possible peek into this virtual war room, that is usually spread across homes in Hooghly.

The playlist currently getting curated are of Locket, 49, interacting with women folk - "these are emotional videos of Locket-ji hugging ladies, taking children in her arms, etc. The idea is to take on [TMC's] Mamata [Bannerjee], who's seen as popular among women," Gautam says. Women in Bengal are entitled to a monthly dole of Rs 1,000 - something, locals say, BJP has promised to up, thrice over, if elected. Locket, like the younger Rachana Banerjee, fielded by TMC, opposite her, used to be a Bengali/Tollywood film actor.

Locket left, chuck it!

Those who've followed Locket's work onscreen describe her as being known for "boudi"/bhabhi (non-lead) roles. She was with the TMC until 2015, before switching over to BJP and winning the Hooghly seat in 2019, where she's seeking re-election. In the following Assembly elections of 2021, TMC won all the Vidhan Sabha seats within Hooghly.

According to a Kolkata political analyst, "Mamata's electoral math hinges mainly on M-M, i.e. Mahila (Women), Muslim votes. Added to the mix is the voting split between Bengalis and non-Bengalis. "The latter supposedly veering towards BJP, which is anyway perceived as the only counter to TMC, with the decline of Congress, and decimation of the Left." Hooghly has a considerable non-Bengali population for the fact that it's also an industrial town.

The constituency drew national headlines because of Singur in Hooghly district, where Mamata stalled Tata's Nano factory from coming up in 2008. That Singur land has returned to being an agricultural plot. Locket has been promising a Tata factory in the elections. Nano doesn't exist anymore.

As for volunteers at her party office, practically everyone spoken to strongly sees Modi as the sole message. Which is why someone like young Sanu tells us he joined politics - likewise, recommended by friends, relatives, acquaintances, "the brother, already in the BJP", in Sanu's case.

Meanwhile, as the sun is about to set, Locket, also the general secretary of BJP in Bengal, is still locking herself behind closed doors, switching rooms. She's aware we've been waiting for her, through the day - lowering our request, in terms of her time, to five minutes, eventually. "Yes, yes," she says, each time.

Only to step out, finally - rushing to her car for the planned roadshow, and passing on her phone number for an interview instead. She's placed her supposedly scripted soundbite for a Bengali news channel, already.

Her media manager says she didn't wish to meet, because we'd named her associate for reference, who she's no more on good terms with: "What! How're we supposed to know?" Anyway. Locket's left the building. No call thereafter. Our phone generously buzzes with images and video of her roadshow, by her campaign manager.