As West Bengal votes in April, candidates turn to “fish politics” — a cultural flashpoint tied to identity, minority rights, and claims that the BJP would ban everyday food.
Kolkata street-level politics has a new symbol: a catla fish, swung like a prop as candidates canvass for the vote.
Ahead of voting on April 23 and 29 for West Bengal’s next state government, BJP candidate Sharadwat Mukherjee spent hours going door to door while holding a large catla fish.. When he greeted voters, the fish swung with a hook in its mouth — a visual meant to land in people’s minds fast.. The underlying question is bigger than seafood: can “fish campaigning” actually help determine who wins the 294-seat West Bengal assembly, and what it says about how parties are framing culture, religion, and belonging.
West Bengal is home to nearly 90 million people, and with the result due May 4, the state vote is being watched as a crucial test for the BJP — which rules India nationally but has never governed in West Bengal.. Among the issues shaping the atmosphere are disputes over a revised electoral list that removed millions of names from the register before polling, alongside identity-driven campaigning that analysts say is increasingly central to the fight.
For Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress, identity politics is not a side theme; it’s the campaign engine.. Banerjee, seeking a fourth consecutive term, has repeatedly warned that if the BJP came to power, it would “ban fish, meat, and even eggs.” Her argument, as opponents see it, is designed to portray the BJP as indifferent to Bengali everyday life.. The BJP denies the charge, but the accusation has stuck — partly because it plays directly into what many voters already associate with West Bengal culture.
That’s where fish becomes more than food.. Bengali cuisine is built around rivers, wetlands, and the region’s closeness to the Bay of Bengal, and fish is a staple across social and community lines.. Studies and local reporting have long pointed to how common fish consumption is, including for weekly meals, while cultural rituals — on auspicious days for Hindus and Muslims alike — keep fish visible in household calendars.. Even so, diets are not uniform: some sects in the region avoid fish, and not everyone experiences “Bengali identity” in the same way.
In practice, the fish campaign seems to be a response to the Banerjee warning.. BJP leaders have leaned into the imagery by ensuring fish appears in front of cameras and crowds, including the attempt to stage a familiar, local “proof” of acceptance.. The strategy reads like image management: if voters feel they are being threatened with bans, then overturning that perception can become a priority — even if it risks looking gimmicky.
Political analysts argue that Banerjee’s party has helped define the narrative, forcing the BJP to argue its way out of a storyline already planted in the electorate’s attention.. One analyst view is that the BJP’s pushback may end up reinforcing the very topic Banerjee wanted to keep on the front burner.. In other words, the more the BJP contests the claim, the more the fish stays in the debate, and the less control it has over the broader agenda.
For voters, the impact is not abstract.. Food is tied to routine, family budgeting, celebrations, and what people cook when they want to feel normal amid political stress.. When a party frames an everyday staple as something that could be restricted, it can trigger emotions beyond policy — suspicion, resentment, or a sense that “outsiders” are trying to rewrite life as Bengalis know it.. Activists and residents have described the BJP’s fish displays as a theatrical response to an image problem, while others view it as a blunt attempt to reassure voters that their food habits won’t be policed.
The broader context is also hard to ignore.. In several parts of India where the BJP has held power, critics say meat restrictions and aggressive policing of food have been used to send political messages.. There have been incidents reported as violent intimidation linked to dietary choices in Hindi-speaking areas, and those stories linger in how people interpret party behavior across regions.. Yet West Bengal remains distinctive: strong attachment to regional identity means cultural cues may land differently here than elsewhere, even when national debates try to travel.
Analysts describe the fish on campaign trails as a “new image” project — an effort to build a mental association between the BJP and Bengali life.. But the novelty also carries risk.. When symbolism becomes the headline, voters may start asking whether parties are avoiding harder questions about wages, jobs, services, and governance.. That tension may decide how much weight “fish politics” ultimately has: either as a shortcut to trust, or as a distraction from practical concerns.
As polls approach, the most revealing outcome may be less about a single fish and more about who controls the story.. If “fish” remains central, it signals that identity and belonging are shaping decision-making more than usual.. If the debate shifts toward elections’ bread-and-butter priorities, it suggests voters are ready to move beyond cultural provocation — and judge parties on what happens after the votes are counted.