West Bengal: Massive turnout expected as Murshidabad's proposed 'Babri Masjid' hosts first Friday prayers today

The proposed site of 'Babri Masjid in Murshidabad's Beldanga, West Bengal. (Image Credit: ANI)

The proposed 'Babri Masjid' site in West Bengal's Murshidabad district is expected to witness a massive turnout today as it hosts its first Friday prayers, marking a pivotal moment ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

According to media reports, hundreds of worshippers had gathered by early morning at the Beldanga site, where suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir laid the foundation stone last Saturday. Organisers say preparations have been made for at least a thousand people, though they anticipate a turnout "running into lakhs".

Large cauldrons of khichdi were being prepared at the venue, with volunteers cutting vegetables and arranging supplies. "We have brought 1.5 quintals of rice. A thousand people will eat for free. Serving them is a good deed," a member of the cooking team told NDTV. Behind him lay tall stacks of bricks donated for the construction.

The proposed structure is envisioned as a replica of the 16th-century Babri Masjid demolished in Ayodhya in 1992, a symbolic choice that has triggered sharp reactions across Bengal's political spectrum. Kabir unveiled his plan on December 6, the anniversary of the demolition, and has since announced a political outfit aimed at challenging the minority vote base of the Trinamool Congress.

Kabir has also declared he will contest 135 of Bengal's 294 seats and is exploring alliances with Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM and the ISF, though AIMIM has denied any pact.

Kabir has repeatedly vowed to "finish" the Muslim vote bank of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who suspended him soon after the announcement, saying the TMC "believes in secular values". The BJP has accused the MLA of attempting to incite communal tensions and the ruling government of its tacit support.

With Muslims forming a key pillar of the Trinamool's electoral success since 2011, the event is being watched closely as a potential flashpoint in minority politics in the state. The TMC has recently faced scattered protests in Murshidabad and other districts over OBC reservation changes and its stance on the amended Waqf law, issues the Opposition has seized to allege that the ruling party has "betrayed" Muslims.

The Trinamool has remained electorally dominant in the region, having swept 20 of Murshidabad's 22 Assembly seats in the 2021 polls. Kabir's show of strength at the foundation ceremony and then again for the inaugural Friday prayers could intensify the battle for Muslim votes ahead of the high-stakes 2026 election.