Stars hit campaign trail a day after Brigade poll list announcement
Times of India | 12 March 2024
Kolkata/Durgapur: Some went to take blessings at temples and some went to party workers’ meets and some joined party supporters in painting wall graffiti. Some played cricket as part of public outreach. A day after Trinamool announced names of candidates in all 42 constituencies of Bengal, poll nominees were spotted in campaigns on Monday.
In Jadavpur, actor and TMC youth wing president Sayoni Ghosh began the day with prayers at a temple in Bikramgarh before joining the workers for tea in her neighbourhood. After that, she set out for a meeting with party workers at Baruipur. At the meeting, TMC MLA Bivas Sardar campaigned for Ghosh, giving a target to each booth leader to ensure Ghosh gets the lead. “Just the way people of Bengal had chosen Mamata Banerjee while answering the call of ‘Bangla nijer meyekei chaay’, I’m using the same lines to ask the people of Jadavpur to choose ‘Jadavpurer meye’,” Ghosh said.
Burdwan Durgapur candidate and former cricketer Kirti Azad joined the players for a third-division cricket match at Radharani Stadium in Durgapur. He gave them fitness tips and promised better sporting facilities if he won. He visited a temple earlier and had also written wall graffiti. “To me, Didi is like Mahisasuramardini and I consider myself one of her devotees,” said Azad.
Trinamool’s youngest candidate Debangshu Bhattacharya participated in a workers’ meet at Nimtouri and wrote wall graffiti in the area. “I am certain of my victory,” he said.
TMC’s Hooghly candidate, TV anchor and actor Rachana Banerjee was found at the Assembly House in Kolkata having a chat with fellow actor and Sonarpur MLA Lovely Moitra. “When I am into politics, I need to take some tips and who better to reach out to than my colleagues who are in this field for some time now,” she said.
BJP candidates, too, started on the campaign trail. BJP state president and sitting Balurghat MP Sukanta Majumdar posted photos of him at a temple in Balurghat and later joined an organizational meeting at south Dinajpur. “Today, I began my election campaign by offering puja at the Burikali Mata Mandir of Balurghat, and seeking the blessings of Ma,” he posted on X. He later again posted: “Today, a special organizational meeting was held at the Dakshin Dinajpur District BJP office, focusing on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.”