Bengal polls: Will Muslim factor shape Kolkata's fate? Tracking the pulse of voters

As West Bengal gears up for the second and final phase of assembly elections, India Today's Mausami Singh brings this ground report from Kolkata tracking the pulse of Muslim voters, their aspirations and more. Kolkata's Muslim community, comprising nearly twenty percent of the city's population, plays a crucial role in the upcoming April 29 elections. Across eight Muslim-dominated constituencies in Kolkata, voters are prioritising issues like employment, education, and healthcare over religious polarisation. The Trinamool Congress, which has fielded forty-six Muslim candidates in the 2026 elections, continues to draw strong support from the community. Muslim women specifically highlight safety and state welfare schemes like Lakshmi Bhandar and 'Rupashree' as key reasons for backing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has not fielded any Muslim candidates, is campaigning on promises of development and assuring security for all citizens as it aims to form the government in West Bengal.