States » EastPosted at: Nov 11 2026 6:43PM


Babun joins Democratic Trinamool Congress's Bhai Phonta event amid Mamata's absence from Kalighat tradition

Kolkata, Nov 11 (UNI): In a politically significant gathering on the occasion of Bhai Phonta, several senior leaders of the Democratic Trinamool Congress, including Mamata Banerjee's brother Babun (Swapan) Banerjee, received ceremonial blessings from minister Chandrima Bhattacharya at a special programme organised by the party on Wednesday.
The presence of Babun at the event assumed particular significance as he joined several prominent leaders, including Firhad Hakim, Madan Mitra, Aroop Biswas, Javed Khan, Aroop Roy, Snehasis Chakraborty, Sandipan Saha, Santanu Sen, Ritabrata Banerjee and Riju Dutta, in receiving Phonta from Chandrima.
“I took phonta from Chandrima Di. She called me and so I came,” Babun said after the program.
The gathering came against the backdrop of a significant break in a 15-year-old tradition at Mamata Banerjee's Kalighat residence.
For the first time since the Trinamool Congress came to power in West Bengal, the former chief minister did not host the customary Bhai Phonta celebrations at her residence, which had traditionally been a major attraction for party leaders and political observers.
For the past one-and-a-half decades, Mamata's Kalighat residence had witnessed a gathering of senior party leaders on the occasion, with the annual ritual often drawing attention for the political equations reflected in the guest list.
This year, however, the familiar scene was missing following the change of guard in the state.
Mamata's traditional Kali Puja at her residence had entered its 49th year this time.
Started during the Left Front regime, when she was the principal face of the Opposition, the annual celebration gradually acquired political significance after Trinamool came to power.
Over the past 15 years, the Kali Puja gathering had often been seen as an informal indicator of influence within the party and the state administration.
The presence of ministers, bureaucrats and senior police officers, as well as their proximity to Mamata and Abhishek Banerjee during the rituals, frequently became a subject of political discussion.
The change in political circumstances following Trinamool's defeat has now altered the familiar pattern of these gatherings, with the absence of the traditional Bhai Phonta celebration at Kalighat marking another departure.
The developments have also drawn attention to Babun's recent public interaction with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
On Tuesday night, Adhikari made an unexpected visit to a Kali Puja organised by a club associated with Babun in the Kalighat neighbourhood and offered prayers.
After the puja, Babun touched the Chief Minister's feet as a mark of respect and publicly declared: "Dada, you move ahead. We are with you."
Babun's presence at the Democratic Trinamool Congress's Bhai Phonta programme, coming shortly after his public gesture towards Suvendu, has added another dimension to the political developments surrounding Mamata's family and the changing political equations in the state. UNI SAG CDS
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