Mamata, Shah run rival ‘war rooms’ as West Bengal votes in phase 1

As Bengal voted in phase one across 152 seats on Thursday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Union Home Minister Amit Shah steered rival ‘war rooms’ from Kalighat and Salt Lake, tracking real-time turnout and booth-level feedback in a high-stakes electoral battle.

Banerjee was accompanied by her nephew and party’s general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, whereas Shah was accompanied by senior BJP leaders, including Union minister Bhupendra Yadav.

Sporadic violence, intimidation and assaults on BJP candidates cast a shadow over polling in several pockets, as West Bengal recorded brisk voting in the first phase of the assembly elections on Thursday, with turnout climbing to 78.77 per cent of 3.60 crore electors by 3 pm. From early morning, Kalighat, the ruling TMC’s political nerve centre, became a virtual command hub. Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee closely monitored polling trends, district feedback, and any signs of disruption, party sources said.

Armed with a dense network of local inputs, the TMC leadership was not just monitoring, but also issuing instructions to district leaders, especially in sensitive pockets, reflecting what insiders described as an “extra layer of vigilance” in a fiercely contested election.

The heightened alertness comes against the backdrop of Banerjee’s repeated public warnings during the campaign about alleged EVM manipulation, with the chief minister urging voters to reject malfunctioning machines and remain watchful against any attempt at electoral malpractice.

If Kalighat was the TMC’s traditional nerve centre, the BJP’s Salt Lake office mirrored a parallel command structure – one that saw Shah himself step in as the day’s political tempo built up.

In a move that underscored the central leadership’s tight grip on the Bengal battle, Shah arrived at the BJP’s ‘war room’ shortly after polling began, holding closed-door deliberations with senior leaders and taking stock of real-time feedback from across constituencies.

Sources said the Union Minister reviewed voter turnout patterns, reports of disturbances and inputs from booth-level workers, with a particular focus on north Bengal, a region critical to the BJP’s electoral calculus.

The visit signalled the significance the BJP leadership is placing on the first phase, widely seen as setting the tone for the rest of the two-phase election.

While voters braved heat and humidity outside polling booths, the contest within these ‘war rooms’ reflected a deeper political duel – one of narrative control, organisational muscle and rapid response.

For the TMC, the emphasis was on guarding its turf through a decentralised but tightly coordinated grassroots network, with Mamata Banerjee relying on her tried-and-tested district-level machinery.

For the BJP, the strategy bore the imprint of a centralised, data-driven campaign, with Shah’s direct intervention highlighting the party’s attempt to micro-manage the electoral battlefield and maximise gains in key regions.

As sporadic incidents of violence and allegations of intimidation trickled in through the day, both camps used their respective command centres to calibrate responses - politically and organisationally - in what is shaping up to be one of Bengal’s most closely watched electoral contests.

With one more phase to follow, Thursday’s parallel ‘war room’ operations offered a telling glimpse into how both sides are preparing for a prolonged and high-decibel fight – one being waged as much through booth agents and voters as through screens, data feeds and constant political messaging.