West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya kicks off the Narendra Cup Football tournament September 11, 2025, in Kolkata.
| Photo Credit: Debashish Bhaduri
The football-crazy State that it is, the ‘people’s game’ has often wound its way into political campaigns and slogans in West Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee famously issued the clarion call of ‘ Khela hobe (the game is on)’ during the 2021 Lok Sabha poll. Now, the State unit of the BJP, the principal Opposition party in the State, is attempting to reach out to the youth with the ‘Narendra Cup’, a football tournament in which party leaders say 1,300 football teams from across West Bengal are participating across 43 different regions.
It kicked off on Thursday to mark the historic September 11, 1893 speech of Swami Vivekananda at the World Parliament of Religions and will conclude on September 17, the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato, Purulia BJP MP and one of general secretaries of West Bengal BJP, has been appointed convener of the cup organising committee. “The champion team in all 43 places will get Rs. 50,000 and the runner-up team will get Rs. 25,000 each, while the remaining two semi-finalists will also be given Rs. 15,000 each,” he said at a press conference on Wednesday to announce the initiative.
The initiative by West Bengal BJP comes months before 2026 Assembly election in the State. Incidentally, several leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) also organise football tournaments. TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee is now chief patron of the Diamond Harbour Football Cup and his team reached the finals of the Durand Cup during its maiden participation at the prestigious tournament in 2025.
Leader surrounded
On Thursday, State BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya went to kick off the tournament at the Aarti Cotton Mill ground in Howrah. However, Trinamool supporters, along with workers of the mill, surrounded his car over multiple demands related to their salaries and bonus.
The Trinamool supporters were led by former cricketer and Minister of State for Sports Manoj Tiwari. Mr. Bhattacharya, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, said he will take up the issue with Union Minister for Textiles Giriraj Singh.
TMC’s tournament
Meanwhile, the West Bengal government is also likely to inaugurate the Swami Vivekananda Cup football tournament from Belur in Howrah. The event will be formally launched by State Sports Minister Aroop Biswas in the next few weeks with the objective of spreading the ideals of Vivekananda in order to inspire the youth.
Published – September 12, 2025 11:37 am IST
