As West Bengal awaits election results, sweet shops are preparing colourful, politically-themed sweets like 'Modishree' and 'Joy Bangla' to celebrate democracy and cater to eager party supporters.
Key Points
- Sweet shops in West Bengal are creating saffron, green, and red sweets to represent different political parties for election result celebrations.
- Popular sweets like rosogolla and sandesh are being customised with party colours and symbols.
- Confectioners are preparing for a surge in orders from party workers and supporters as the election results are announced.
- Some shops are keeping white rosogollas in stock, ready to be dipped in the colour that represents the winning party.
- Sweet shop owners see this as a way to celebrate democracy and Bengal's culture.
Fish, jhalmuri and regional identity became unlikely symbols in the Trinamool Congress-Bharatiya Janata Party fight for over a month.
With Bengal now all agog for the EVMs to open on Monday, the state looks to cap off the bitterly fought battle with sweets drenched in the hues of every political party.
From saffron-coloured 'Modishree' and 'Joy Bangla' confection dyed in the Trinamool Congress' green to rose-flavoured red sweet christened 'Lal Salam' of the Left, confectioners across the West Bengal capital are now ready for brisk business, dishing out desserts that fit the occasion.
Election Sweets: A Taste of Bengal's Politics
Kolkata-based sweetmakers said orders and enquiries from party workers and supporters have already started pouring in as anticipation builds over whether Bengal will witness a change of guard or the incumbent will continue to rule.
At the iconic K C Das and Nobin Chandra Das sweetmeat outlets, there is frenzied activity, as confectioners race against time to prepare huge quantities of rosogollas and rajbhogs dyed to the colours of each political party.
"The saffron-coloured kesar-flavoured sandesh has been named 'Modishree', inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi tasting the sweet during his last visit to Kolkata for an election campaign," Dhiman Das, the director of the firm that runs outlets of both brands, told PTI.
Its green variant with gondhoraj (a version of lime) flavour linked to the Trinamool Congress has been christened 'Joy Bangla', the rallying cry of the ruling party, he said.
Customised Confections for Every Party
Das said the outlets would largely prepare rosogolla and rajbhog varieties, while several other confectioners are preparing customised sandesh carrying party colours and symbols.
"We will restrict ourselves to rosogolla. We are initially making around 500 pieces each of green, orange and red velvet rosogollas. Supplies would be altered depending on the demand and trend on the counting day," he said.
Confectioners said local political workers have informally spoken to them about the supply of sweets, though the orders would be firmed up only after the result trends become clearer on Monday.
Waiting for the Results: A Sweet Strategy
As such, many have prepared white rosogollas, ready to dip them in the colour the state takes following the counting of votes.
"We will have white rosogolla in our stock and will dip them in the colour as is the trend on the counting day," said the owner of Benapani Sweets in south Kolkata.
Officials of the city's another large sweetmeat chain, Balaram Mullick and Radharaman Mullick, said they are ready to cater to the demand of politically themed sweets on the counting day.
"We do this to celebrate democracy. Sweets are an integral part of Bengal and our culture. We prepare special customised sweets for each and every occasion; so why not elections?" said Sudip Mullick, the owner of the confectionery chain.
In Bardhaman, sweet shops on the famed B C Road are selling both saffron and green-coloured rosogollas and sandesh, reflecting what traders described as a 'fifty-fifty' political mood in the state.
Counting of votes will take place across 77 centres in the state, with elaborate security arrangements and a charged political atmosphere setting the stage for the declaration of results in 293 of the 294-seat assembly.
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