Lok Sabha polls: This border town in West Bengal is looking for change

Petrapole, often called Wagah of the East, on the India-Bangladesh border, went about the customary change of guards at sunset on Thursday without a hint of elections. But just a few steps into the Bangaon city and municipality, the mood is charged. While some of the locals let the guard down, many others remain stubbornly tight-lipped about the waves and ripples that the 2019 Lok Sabha election has brought about in West Bengal. 

Bangaon in the North 24 Parganas District of West Bengal is looking for a change and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is gaining support. That’s the broad message from this border constituency going for the polls on May 6. 

An officer at the Petrapole post says the verdict will have nothing to do with caste or religion. Others nod in agreement. Illegal immigration from Bangladesh or the perceived appeasement of Muslims by the Trinamool Congress government in the state are not a major factor, they claim.

There’s no industry in Bangaon other than export and import at the Petrapole border, an executive dealing with businesses here pointed out. “But the trade has suffered despite making it a 24x7 operation at the largest land customs station in Asia.” His colleague, considered an authority on business and politics, joins in to point out that the earlier 6 pm closure at the trade border meant sticking to deadlines. Now with a 24-hour business, there’s no deadline. In effect, there’s no sense of urgency, resulting in backlog and delay.

From a peak of 500 truckloads of products a day exporting to Bangladesh from Petrapole, the number has fallen to around 400 or so, according to a person in the know. Top export items include capital machinery and fabric, but there’s much else from spices to cosmetics. Around 100 trucks come from Bangladesh to India every day with jute and textile mainly. Estimates suggest around 3.4 billion dollar worth of trade is handled at this point, accounting for a major chunk of the total bilateral business between the two countries. 

The election in Bangaon on Monday may mean no trade for at least two days at the border. There’s no order yet, officials point out cautiously. 

As darkness descends, election buzz picks up momentum. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name reverberates in the air as shopkeepers and residents leave their job to catch the latest from BJP campaigners. Another loudspeaker closeby cuts into the speech with the Trinamool’s counter. Usually, a sleepy town, used to waking and going to bed early, is changing its biorhythm to keep pace with elections four days later. 

Bangaon is one of the key areas along the more than 2,000-km long India-Bangladesh border falling in West Bengal. Basirhat is another important border town which votes in the last phase on May 19. 

The 80-km stretch from Kolkata to Bangaon touching Bangladesh, lined with trees dating back to another era and a medley of education institutions, shops and quaint eateries, continues to be a bumpy road. As a trader pointed out, “Let’s try something new. A change is always good. For the young generation, Narendra Modi holds hope.” That seems to be the wave at the border town despite Trinamool leader and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee still having a fan club that can dampen the overwhelming wish for change.

All about Bangaon

Location: 80 km from Kolkata in the North 24 Parganas

Voters:  1.54 mn voters

Literacy rate: Over 90 per cent

Polling date: May 6

Main business: Export & import on the Indian side of Petrapole-Benapole border checkpoint between India & Bangladesh