Mamata’s decision was meant to emulate Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi’s self-imposed two-hour powercut at the Raj Bhavan every day.

So from 4 pm to 6 pm, her residence at Harish Chatterjee Street at Kalighat went through a voluntary powercut. Trinamool Bhavan, the party office at Topsia too, followed suit, with all lights and fans switched off.

The Trinamool chief, however, was away at Nandigram to protest against the alleged atrocities meted out by CPM cadres on the party’s supporters. But in her home, hand-held fans were used and candles lit. And in her office, her staff, sweating profusely, had to continue working as panchayat polls were upon them.

Mamata’s mother, 70-year-old Gayatri Banerjee, was sitting on the bed, fanning herself with a hand fan.

“A large number of people in Nandigram have been driven out of their houses and they are out in the sun. As far as I am concerned, I am inside the house and I am not suffering as much as they do,” she said as shutter-bugs continued clicking.

Mamata’s sister-in-law sat with her. But most of her neighbours were ignorant of Mamata’s self-imposed penance. “We did not know she had taken such a decision. But this place suffers from powercuts at least for one hour every day. So what is the use of introducing voluntary powercuts?” asked S K Prasad, a local grocer.

At 6 pm, Mamata’s office secretary Manik Banerjee began asking everyone if it was really 6. At 6.10 pm, assured of the time by everybody, including the reporters present, he cried: “Let there be light.”