Kolkata: Voters living in high-rises and gated communities quietly reshaped the electoral map of Bengal, emerging as a decisive factor in the BJP’s surge in Kolkata.In Bhowanipore, long considered a Trinamool bastion, residents of high-rise on Park Street, Theatre Road, Lord Sinha Road, Allenby Road and neighbourhoods in Chakraberia turned out in notable numbers at polling booths, many claiming they cast their vote for the first time in many years. This turnout shift, facilitated by special polling arrangements and a heavy deployment of central forces, appears to have unlocked a segment of the electorate that remained largely disengaged in previous elections. Voters in these complexes reported a sense of security and accessibility that they apparently found missing earlier. “I’ve lived here for over a decade but often skipped voting due to safety concerns and logistical hassles,” said Nikita Agarwal, a resident of Theatre Road. “This time, with central forces stationed right outside and polling inside the complex, I could vote peacefully — and I chose BJP because I wanted a change.”A Camac Street resident said “civic frustrations” helped him decide on his choice for BJP. “The unchecked extortion and hawker policy made life difficult. There’s been no accountability. I voted for the BJP, hoping for stricter governance,” said Umesh Agarwal.The higher percentage of votes polled at booths, set up inside housing societies—a first-time occurrence here—also helped BJP win the thumping victory in Bengal. “The polling booth at our housing society helped about 770 residents of our complex exercise the franchise. Our campus saw a large turnout. The votes went to both the winner and the runner-up,” said a resident of Genexx Valley in Joka under Behala East constituency, where BJP’s Sankar Sikdar won with 1,15,502 votes, defeating Trinamool’s Subhasish Chakraborty for a margin of 25,137 votes. Most of the gated communities house a mixed population, whose spontaneous participation in the election was bolstered by the ‘Duare Vote’ facility. Silver Spring, situated in the Entally constituency, where Trinamool’s Sandipan Saha emerged as winner, recorded 99% turnout at the booth on the premises. Ashok Baid, a resident of the complex, said, “Even a 96-year-old resident could vote this time, thanks to this initiative. The total number of voters on our campus was 450, among whom, only 50 went outside to vote. The rest, including wheelchair-bound people, voted on the campus.”In the Kasba constituency, three high-rises — Urbana, Rail Vihar and Manjulika — had polling booths on the premises. From this constituency, Trinamool’s Javed Khan won for the fourth time in a row. Manabendra Chakraborty, a resident of Rail Bihar, said, “Senior citizens, like me, reaped the benefit of on-campus voting. The elderly voters, who could not cast their votes earlier due to mobility constraints, gave their mandate this time.“In the Rajarhat-New Town constituency, at least two gated communities—Rosedale and Uniworld—had polling booths on the premises. Anukriti Singh Maurya, who lives at Rosedale, said, “For the first time, we voted from the comfort of our premises and I voted for a change. Mamata Banerjee had once questioned women roaming alone at night. I couldn’t agree with her and her party’s policies.”
