Mamata visits Furfura Sharif; sparks political speculation

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited Furfura Sharif in Hooghly on Monday for an Iftar party. She joined local Imams and Peerzadas to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan. During her visit, she wished for everyone's prayers to be accepted and stressed the importance of unity in society. Her visit comes days after a meeting with Nawsad Siddique, the leader of the Indian Secular Front (ISF). Siddique has connections to the Furfura Sharif shrine through his family. The ISF was formed ahead of the 2021 assembly elections, but it has not significantly changed the voting patterns among Muslims in West Bengal, who have largely supported Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC). The political climate is tense in West Bengal, with opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari accusing Banerjee of using religious visits to strengthen her electoral support among Muslims. Adhikari claimed that Banerjee often visits Furfura Sharif before elections but ignores the community afterward. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury echoed these sentiments, suggesting that Banerjee's visits aim to secure Muslim votes. Despite the rise of parties like the ISF, many minority voters remain loyal to the TMC. Nawsad Siddique, who represents the Bhangar Assembly seat, recently decided not to run against TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. After the meeting between Siddique and Banerjee, BJP leaders labeled the ISF as the "B-team" of the Trinamool Congress. Siddique responded, saying that both major parties accuse the ISF of being aligned with one another. He emphasized the ISF's goal of securing equal representation for Muslims and Dalits in West Bengal's political landscape.