From rallies to reels: political catchphrases turn dance anthems in Kolkata

Why are Kolkata club-goers dancing to Mamata Banerjee’s ‘Hamba Hamba’ and the BJP’s ‘Mach Chor’ ? From campaign songs and election slogans to viral reels and packed dancefloors, Bengal’s political techno remixes are blurring the lines between propaganda, memes and nightlife

Updated - September 22, 2026 11:20 am IST

A screen grab from Bajania Ghar’s music video ‘Hamba Hamba’ on Youtube | Photo Credit: Bajania Ghar

A video uploaded by IndicSociety on X showed club-goers in Kolkata dancing to the song ‘Hamba Hamba’ inside Roots, a nightclub in the city. ‘Hamba Hamba’ an imitation of the bellowing of cows, taken from Mamata Banerjee’s speech in Murshidabad delivered ahead of the 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections, has now been remixed into a techno number that has got the city dancing, especially after the Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) loss in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections 2026.

The song was uploaded in January 2024 on Apple Music, JioSaavn and Spotify by Bajania Ghar, a music production house whose Instagram bio describes it as a “music production house dedicated to discovering and uplifting new, raw singing and songwriting talent from across the country”.

Published - May 21, 2026 04:33 pm IST

The Hindu MetroPlus / music

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