West Bengal is participating in high-voltage elections spread across eight phases. As the Bharatiya Janata Party makes a push to dislodge Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress from power, there is emotion, drama, fake news and new slogans in the air.

To capture these spirit of the West Bengal Elections 2021, I recently travelled to Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district, from where Mamata Banerjee is contesting; South 24 Parganas, Bengal’s largest district and went into the bylanes of Kolkata.

In Nandigram, entire streets and bazaars are divided along party lines. In South 24 Parganas, the area where Chief Minister Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee is an MP, the impact of cyclone Amphan last May was still visible . In Kolkata, which is considered a Trinamool stronghold, sections of the voters were shifting to the BJP.

It’s an election that has already changed Bengal.

Voters in Nandigram wait to catch a glimpse of Trinamool candidate Mamata Banerjee. Credit: Arvind Kumar
Bharatiya Janata Party supporters in Nandigram. Credit: Arvind Kumar
Mamata Banerjee at an election event. Credit: Arvind Kumar
Supporters of the Indian Secular Front, which is contesting in an alliance with the Left Front and the Congress. Credit: Arvind Kumar
The police escort at a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate's procession. Credit: Arvind Kumar
A child dressed as Hanuman at a BJP rally. Credit: Arvind Kumar
BJP posters in Nandigram. Credit: Arvind Kumar
An Indian Secular Front supporter displays his tattoo. Credit: Arvind Kumar