West Bengal 2026: Humayun Kabir’s Babri Pitch and the New Politics of Muslim Power

West Bengal 2026: The Muslim Vote Is Not a Secret by Now

West Bengal votes on April 23 and 29 and the result on May 4. Paper wise this appears as another TMC vs BJP battle. However, this time something different is happening.

A former TMC minister, Humayun Kabir, who has since been suspended by the party is running his outfit, AJUP. He is insisting on a Muslim Chief minister or Deputy CM. 

On the very anniversary of the demolition of Babri Masjid, he was able to lay the groundwork of a mosque that was the replica of the destroyed mosque. Thousands showed up. This does not only qualify as a religious symbolism. Kabir is developing a bargaining chip.

There are about 27 percent Muslims in Bengal that command in approximately 114 assembly seats. He will challenge 182 seats as well as AIMIM by Owaisi. His goal is not a majority. It is sufficiently numerous to compel a stalemate assembly and bargain cabinet offices.

Mamata Banerjee has also disassociated herself with the comments of Kabir. That is in itself telling you something. She is not able to seem weak on communal politics, yet at the same time, she cannot lose votes among minorities. 

The BJP, in its turn, is hoping that this division would come in its favour. A switch of Muslim voters to Kabir and AIMIM would lead to the Hindu votes being concentrated on BJP.

The bigger issue is whether this aggressive politics does provide Muslim voters of ordinary people anything enduring or otherwise only strengthening the lines and losing sense of jobs, schools and local development. That response will have a long lasting effect even after May 4.