After a gap of two years, Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground is set to host another mass Gita chanting programme on Sunday, and unlike the “one-lakh voice” chant held in December 2023, organisers now claim the turnout will swell to five lakh participants.

Preparations are underway across the Maidan to accommodate the projected crowd.

The event is being organised by the Sanatan Sanskriti Sansad, with the BJP lending behind-the-scenes support.

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari was the first to announce the programme, declaring that five lakh Hindus would participate in the mass chant.

Though his own presence remains uncertain, senior BJP leaders — Dilip Ghosh, state party president Shamik Bhattacharya, and union minister Sukanta Majumdar — have confirmed their participation.

Dilip Ghosh’s participation had been a subject of speculation within the party, given his limited presence at major BJP programmes in recent months.

Speaking to the media, the former state BJP president said: “I have received an invitation. I will go. I will reach Brigade around 9 am.” Other state leaders have also accepted invitations from the organisers.

Invites were also sent to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor CV Ananda Bose. Neither will attend.

Raj Bhavan sources said the Governor is in Delhi and will not return before Sunday.

While there is no official word from the Chief Minister, sources indicated she is unlikely to participate, as was the case during the 2023 event.

Taking a swipe at the chief minister, Adhikari said, “Why will she go? She believes only in appeasement politics,” making it obvious that the Gita chanting event is being framed not just as a religious gathering but as part of the saffron camp’s attempt to consolidate the Hindu vote ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

However, the BJP is making a determined push to turn the religious congregation into a launchpad for reaching urban and semi-urban voters across the state.

For the event, three stages have been built at Brigade — a central main stage, flanked on both sides by two additional platforms.

Sadhus and spiritual leaders with national prominence will be seated on the main dais, from where the mass chanting will take place.

Well-known monks from Bengal will occupy the other two stages. A smaller cultural stage has been set up in front of the main dais for musical performances that will precede the chanting.

Senior functionaries of the organising body, including Ramapada Pal and Jaladhar Mahato, will be present.

Among the chief guests expected on the main stage are Swami Pradiptananda (Kartik Maharaj) of Bharat Sevashram Sangha, Nirgunananda Brahmachari of Rishra Prem Mandir, and Bandhugourab Das Maharaj of Jagatbandhu Ashram.

Invitations have also gone out to several nationally known religious figures, including Swami Gyanananda, Baba Ramdev, Dhirendra Krishna Shastri of Bageshwar Dham, and Sadhvi Ritambhara.

Despite the organisers’ ambitious claim of a five-lakh turnout, questions have surfaced about whether such a massive gathering is realistic.

In 2023, the organisers had claimed a one-lakh-voice chant, later revising the count from the stage to 1.37 lakh — a figure many observers found inflated after examining photographs of the crowd.

With Assembly elections due in 2026, Sunday’s gathering is being viewed as a politically significant show of strength.

Whether the organisers — and the BJP — can meet Suvendu Adhikari’s five-lakh projection remains to be seen.