The newly formed BJP government on Saturday removed the football-themed half-body structure placed outside the Salt Lake Stadium. The sculpture was designed by the state's former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during her tenure.

The decision came after State Sports Minister Nisith Pramanik earlier announced plans for infrastructure upgrades at the stadium. Pramanik slammed the appearance of the statue and claimed that it lacked aesthetic value.

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'Ugly-looking Statue'

“Such an ugly-looking statue, with two legs cut at the torso and a football above it, does not make sense. It does not look aesthetically pleasing either, so we will not keep such a grotesque structure that has no meaning, and it will be taken down," News18 quoted Pramanik as saying.

The structure was removed on Saturday as part of the changes planned around the stadium complex.The sculpture was created in 2017 near the VVIP gate of the Salt Lake Stadium ahead of the FIFA U-17 World Cup. It featured giant footballing legs merging into the Biswa Bangla logo, with the word “Joyi" written on the football.

Over the years, the installation had attracted criticism and controversy over its design and appearance. The state government has now removed the sculpture while preparing for a broader infrastructure upgrade at the stadium.

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BJP's Historic Win In Bengal

The BJP government had risen to power in West Bengal for the first time. The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government ruled for 15 years. In the recent West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections, the BJP won 207 seats out of the total 294 constituencies. The party registered a landslide victory to form the government in the state for the first time, securing a strong majority over the 148-seat mark with a massive 45.84% vote share.

The 2026 Bengal election was conducted after an extraordinarily sweeping "Special Intensive Revision” (SIR) of electoral rolls executed by the Election Commission of India (ECI), ostensibly to remove duplicate, deceased or “ineligible” voters. Across West Bengal, more than nine million names — nearly 12 per cent of the electorate — were initially flagged, removed or subjected to scrutiny during the exercise.