Kolkata: Around 5,000 Bengali voters living in Surat are set to return to West Bengal to cast their votes in the upcoming Assembly elections, following an alleged coordination between the BJP’s Surat unit and the Surat Bengali Samaj, according to reports.
Basudeb Adhikari, a member of the Surat Bengali Samaj, told the media: “There is a scope for change in Bengal. We have seen the difference that the BJP has brought in Gujarat. We want the same for our home state.”
The initiative reportedly involved months of groundwork to identify voters considered sympathetic to the BJP, with efforts aimed at ensuring these votes do not go to rival parties. Out of Surat’s nearly 2.5 lakh-strong Bengali population, a selected group has been mobilised for the journey back home.
To facilitate this, arrangements have been made to transport voters via four trains connecting Gujarat to Bengal. Two trains are scheduled to depart on April 18, ahead of the first phase of polling on April 23, while the remaining two will leave on April 24 for the second phase on April 29.
Reports indicate that applicants were vetted to confirm their eligibility as Bengal voters, with some applications reportedly rejected during scrutiny. The move comes amid heightened political tensions over alleged irregularities in voter lists, with the ruling Trinamool Congress raising concerns about the inclusion of non-resident voters.
Surat hosts a large population of Bengali migrant workers employed in industries such as textiles, zari, and jewellery. Political observers suggest that, beyond casting their votes, these workers may also influence voting patterns among their families back in Bengal.