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For many, house number 77 on Ashutosh Mukherjee Road in Kolkata is not just a building, but a chapter in Indian politics that ruling parties in Bengal have always tried to hide
The address 77, Ashutosh Mukherjee Road in Bhabanipur is the home of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee. (FB)
As the results of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections started trickling in and the ouster of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) became clear, many started to call the loss “the curse of house number 77″.
Where is it? Why is the term being used? News18 explains.
WHERE IS HOUSE NUMBER 77? WHO LIVES THERE?
The address 77, Ashutosh Mukherjee Road in Bhabanipur is the historic ancestral home of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee and his father, the legendary ‘Tiger of Bengal’, Sir Ashutosh Mookerjee. The house was built by Dr. Ganga Prasad Mookerjee in 1873 and served as the residence for both Sir Ashutosh and Syama Prasad.
It is often described as a “history by itself”, having hosted iconic figures such as Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Rabindranath Tagore, and Dr Mahendralal Sarkar.
Today, it houses the Asutosh Mookerjee Memorial Institute, which works to preserve the family’s heritage, including a vast library and personal artifacts.
The building is a Grade I Heritage property recognised by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. The house remains a major symbolic site during elections. Following the May 2026 West Bengal Assembly Elections, BJP leaders invoked Mookerjee’s legacy to celebrate their performance in the state.
THE BJP LINK
Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee (1901-1953) is revered as the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) in 1951, which is the direct predecessor to the modern Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He is ideological anchor for the BJP, particularly regarding Indian nationalism, the integration of Jammu and Kashmir, and the creation of West Bengal.
Mookerjee founded the BJS in October 1951 with the support of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The BJS evolved into the BJP in 1980. His philosophy of “one nation, one flag, one constitution” and his opposition to Article 370 in Kashmir are core pillars of the BJP’s ideology. As a leader from Bengal, he advocated for a strong, united India based on cultural nationalism.
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Mookerjee died in 1953 while imprisoned for protesting the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP holds him as a hero who died for the cause of national integration. He is recognized as the person who ensured that a significant portion of Bengal remained in India during the 1947 partition.
THE CURSE OF HOUSE NUMBER 77
For many, house number 77 on Ashutosh Mukherjee Road in Kolkata is not just a building, but a chapter in Indian politics that ruling parties in Bengal have always tried to hide. This is the house where Mookerjee planned to keep India united and save West Bengal. For decades, this house suffered from government neglect.
When the BJP linked this election to Mookerjee’s legacy, the people of Bengal accepted it.
In political circles, there is a common discussion: has Mamata Banerjee been ‘cursed’ by the same legacy she always called “outsiders”? Banerjee’s and Mookerjee’s house in Bhabanipur are not far apart, but the ideological divide was deep.
Banerjee always said Mookerjee’s ideas were against Bengal’s culture. As the TMC collapsed like a pack of cards, some media reports quoted the elderly from the area as saying that the soul of this house must have found peace after 105 years. The house that was once plotted to be destroyed has now emerged as Bengal’s new “power centre”.
The main reason for the TMC’s defeat is believed to be the “arrogance” that led them to forget the great people connected to Bengal’s roots.
KEY FAQs
What is “House No. 77″?
It refers to 77, Ashutosh Mukherjee Road in Kolkata, a historic residence associated with the Mukherjee family.
Why is it linked to Syama Prasad Mukherjee?
The house is tied to the legacy of Syama Prasad Mukherjee (founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh), and is often referenced symbolically in political narratives.
With News18 Hindi, agency inputs
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