On Sunday, the Ram Navami 2025 celebrations in West Bengal witnessed many high-profile rallies and events across the state, amid tight security and concerns about possible unrest, as leaders from both the BJP and TMC took part in the festivities.
In a major move ahead of next year`s assembly elections, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari officially laid the foundation stone of a Ram temple in Nandigram`s Sonachura village in Purba Medinipur district.
As per PTI, around 2,500 Ram Navami rallies are planned to be held across West Bengal, with more than 6,000 police personnel deployed to maintain law and order.
The Ram Navami 2025 celebrations began early Sunday morning with lively processions, chants of `Jai Shri Ram,` and passionate religious displays. Devotees filled the streets with saffron flags, devotional music and tableaux depicting scenes from the Ramayana.
The political significance of this year`s Ram Navami festivities, taking place just a year before the 2026 assembly elections, was clear as both the BJP and TMC gathered large crowds.
Adhikari who wore saffron, led a procession to the temple site in Sonachura, where he laid the foundation amid slogans of `Jai Shri Ram.`
The temple`s location holds a historical importance, as it is close to the site of the 2007 anti-land acquisition protests, where many people were killed in firing by miscreants.
BJP MP Sukanta Majumdar took part in the `Anjani Putra Sena` rally at Shibpur in Howrah, while his colleague Saumitra Khan showed his `Lathi Khela` (stick drill) skills at a Ram Navami procession in Bankura. In North Howrah, TMC councillor Gautam Chowdhury joined a rally organised by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Salkia.
In New Town near Kolkata, BJP leader Locket Chatterjee got engaged in a heated exchange with the police, who had stopped the rally with barricades and requested a change in its route.
Despite the standoff, Chatterjee tried to proceed ahead on her own, with BJP leader Arjun Singh also present at the scene. The rally near Keshtopur was similarly stopped, but she remained determined to continue the procession.
Meanwhile, TMC MLA Shaukat Molla participated in a Ram Navami rally in Bhangar, and supporters of ABVP held a Ram puja at Jadavpur University`s technology building, despite the university authorities denying permission for it.
In Malda, Muslims distributed sweets and water bottles at a rally, with participants offering flowers, showcasing the spirit of communal harmony. In the northern part of the state, rallies continued across many districts, with the VHP organizing a Ram Navami procession in Cooch Behar.
In Islampur, Raiganj, BJP leader Kartik Pal led a rally that resumed after the police removed barricades that had been placed earlier set when Pal had staged a sit-in.
More than 60 rallies have been planned in Kolkata alone, leading to a large-scale police deployment. Authorities are also utilising drones and CCTVs to monitor the events, with quick response teams stationed at sensitive areas, according to PTI reports.
At Lalbazar, Police personnel have been closely monitoring the live footage of the rallies from the Kolkata Police headquarters.
State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said, “The celebrations should be peaceful, and any attempts to disturb the processions will not be tolerated. Ram Navami will be celebrated across the state, no matter the efforts to stop it”.
The Bengal BJP has asserted that more than 1.5 crore Hindus will participate in the festivities this year, and over 2,000 rallies have been planned across the state.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, said that the BJP is trying to secure Hindu votes through these celebrations, which, according to him, have now been politicized.
(With PTI inputs)