Rajbanshi Leader's Award Acceptance Sparks Speculation on Political Allegiance in West Bengal Assembly Elections

With the West Bengal Assembly elections barely a month away, political temperatures have risen in north Bengal after Rajbanshi leader and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ananta Maharaj accepted the Banga Bibhushan award from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee last week and shared the stage with her, setting off fresh speculation. Maharaj, whose real name is Nagendra Roy, has for years spearheaded the demand for a separate Greater Cooch Behar as a Union Territory, which has often put him at odds with both the BJP’s central leadership and the TMC. His presence at a state-sponsored event and Banerjee’s visible outreach come at a time when North Bengal remains a key battleground. At the ceremony, Banerjee felicitated Maharaj, offering him an “uttariya” and a plaque in the presence of senior ministers and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders Aroop Biswas and Indranil Sen. “We offer our deepest respects to Ananta Maharaj and his community. May he stay healthy and continue to work for society. We are proud that he is present here,” she said. Banerjee added, “Today, just as we have Ananta Maharaj from the Rajbanshi community, we also have respected people from the Bauri, Bagdi, Matua and Baul communities.” Yet, it was Maharaj’s remarks that drew sharper attention. “The Centre had only been discriminating and neglecting our community, which had joined the Indian republic with so much hope and expectations. Our region has been subjected to neglect by successive central governments, including the present one, for years,” he said. When reminded that he belongs to the ruling party at the Centre, he shot back: “Can’t I talk about the development of India? Are we not part of the country?” The Rajbanshi factor The Rajbanshis are the single-largest Scheduled Caste (SC) group in West Bengal. According to the 2011 Census, the community accounts for over 18% of the state’s 21.4 million SC population. Concentrated largely in the districts of Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and parts of North Dinajpur, the community plays a decisive role in several Assembly segments in North Bengal. According to a senior state administration official, Maharaj’s attendance at the ceremony was uncertain until the last moment. “If you see the list of names who were to receive the Banga Bibhushan award, only Maharaj’s name was written in pen because he was not confirmed for the ceremony. After getting his confirmation, his name was included in the list,” the official said. In 2023, the BJP had nominated Maharaj to the Rajya Sabha from Bengal, banking on his influence among Rajbanshi voters. The TMC, too, has consistently courted the community. In 2017, the state government set up a Rajbanshi Development Board with Banshibadan Burman as chairman, along with a Rajbanshi language academy. In 2020, the government declared a state holiday on the birth anniversary of Panchanan Barma, a key community icon. The following year, it announced primary school instruction in the Rajbanshi language across five North Bengal districts. These measures have been seen as a part of a broader strategy by the ruling party to blunt the BJP’s inroads into the region since 2019. Despite securing a comfortable majority in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, North Bengal continues to pose a challenge for the TMC. The lone parliamentary seat it won in the region — Cooch Behar — is also where Rajbanshi voters are concentrated. Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia defeated former Union Minister of State Nishith Pramanik of the BJP in that seat. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won all seven seats encompassing the region. Maharaj’s importance for TMC According to TMC sources, Maharaj earlier embarrassed the BJP leadership by commenting against the party’s stand on not granting Union Territory status to Cooch Behar Soon after the Lok Sabha results, Banerjee made an “unplanned” stop at Maharaj’s residence in Chakchaka during her return from Siliguri. The 35-minute meeting fuelled speculation that he might switch sides after the BJP’s defeat in Cooch Behar. However, Maharaj did not join the TMC. After its rout in North Bengal in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the TMC recovered ground in the 2021 Assembly elections, winning 23 of the region’s 54 seats, with its ally Gorkhaland Janmukti Morcha (GJM) securing one, against the BJP’s 30. A senior TMC leader said the party remains hopeful that Maharaj’s statements will discomfort the BJP. “Like in the Lok Sabha elections, Maharaj may again embarrass the BJP by giving controversial statements. He has a substantial following at least in Cooch Behar district,” the leader said. The BJP, however, tried to downplay his impact. A senior party leader from North Bengal said, “The TMC failed to expand its footprint in Cooch Behar even after winning the Lok Sabha seat, except in Dinhata and Sitai. We are confident of winning the remaining seats in the district. However, such moves by Maharaj can cause damage, and that needs to be addressed by our central leadership.”