As West Bengal gears up for next year’s assembly elections, political parties are leveraging football tournaments as a means of campaigning. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is organizing the Swami Vivekananda Cup, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is hosting the Narendra Cup. Both sporting events are scheduled to commence in September. The Narendra Cup is set to launch on September 11th, coinciding with the start of the TMC’s football tournament. The BJP’s tournament is timed to coincide with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday on September 17th. The Narendra Cup will begin at the district level. Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato, a BJP leader and Member of Parliament from Purulia, is the convener of the committee formed for the competition. He announced during a press conference that the tournament will feature 43 football tournaments and 1300 teams. The winning team will receive 50,000 rupees, with the runners-up getting 25,000 rupees and semi-finalists earning 15,000 rupees. The theme song for the tournament was also launched on the same day.
BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya clarified that the Narendra Cup is named after Swami Vivekananda, not Narendra Modi. He stated that the tournament aims to unite youth dedicated to the nation, echoing Vivekananda’s message to the youth. Meanwhile, the TMC’s Swami Vivekananda Cup has already been announced, with the Department of Sports and Youth Welfare organizing the competition. The ruling TMC is organizing the tournament to commemorate the 133rd anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s Chicago address. Sports Minister Arup Biswas confirmed that 23 districts in the state will participate, with 8 teams from each district. The competition will begin at the district level, and the top two teams from each district will compete inter-district. This competition is scheduled to run until March 2026, encompassing a total of 390 matches. This sporting event provides a different form of competition preceding the political battles.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh criticized the Narendra Cup, stating it is named after PM Narendra Modi. He questioned why the BJP didn’t name it Vivekananda Cup if they had the same respect for the figure. Ghosh added that TMC named their tournament after Swami Vivekananda to honor their heritage, accusing the BJP of trying to tarnish it. A debate about Bengali identity is currently underway in the state. A student leader from TMC, AB Soyal, burned a poster of Rabindranath Tagore with BJP leaders. Abhishek Banerjee suspended the demonstrator and dissolved the TMC unit of Malda’s Chanchol College. Subsequently, the BJP led by Suvendu Adhikari staged a large protest. In response to the Rabindranath Tagore incident, TMC showcased a photo of Union Education Minister Sukanta Majumdar standing on a stage with images of Tagore and Vivekananda at his feet. TMC asserted that if a Union Minister disrespects Tagore and Vivekananda, then why the finger-pointing at TMC? Now, both parties are attempting to improve their image by praising and honoring Swami Vivekananda. The BJP, under the leadership of state president Samik Bhattacharya, initiated the Narendra Cup, while TMC announced the Swami Vivekananda Cup.
