Kaliachak is tense but calm and the situation is under control, Malda district magistrate Sharad Dwivedi has said.
The political heat generated by the mob violence in Malda's Kaliachak has boosted BJP hopes ahead of the coming assembly elections in West Bengal. Though the party has been a marginal player in the state so far, its leaders say they expect considerable gains in and around Malda, traditionally a Congress stronghold.
"Kaliachack has had a huge impact across India," said Alok Kundu, a senior leader of the local BJP unit. "In 2016, we are sure to get at least 7 out of 12 assembly seats in Malda, if elections are free and fair," he said.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP, a constant if seat-less presence in Malda since the 1980s, increased its vote share by 15%.
Upbeat, the party has now planned a spate of rallies in the state from Monday. Party sources say they will be attended by its central leaders and ministers including Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani. On January 25, party chief Amit Shah will attend a rally in Howrah.
The BJP-led NDA government has asked the Mamata Banerjee government for a report on the January 3 mob violence. The party also sent a team of lawmakers to Malda, which was stopped from going to Kaliachak.
Malda has been a Congress fortress since ABA Ghani Khan Chowdhury was Indira Gandhi's rail minister till the 1980s. After his death in 2006, his family has protected his legacy -- both parliamentarians from the district are related to him.
In 2011, the Congress won 8 of the 12 assembly seats in Malda despite the Trinamool Congress sweep across the state. But since, three Congress lawmakers and one from Forward Bloc have switched to the ruling party. So from one seat in 2011, Trinamool now has 5.
Since the Kaliachak violence, Trinamool has accused the BJP of conducting a "communal" campaign -- Malda has 52% Muslim population, much higher than the state's 30%.
The CPM, which also has been steady presence in Malda, is dismissive about the BJP's chances.
The chief of its local unit, Ambar Mitra, said, "In 2014, there was a Modi wave which died. The BJP did poorly in the civic polls in 2015. Now the hopes of 'achche din' have died, they will have no luck in Bengal this year."