Trinamool Congress has fielded two popular Bengali actors and a new age singer for the Lok Sabha polls with an aim to cash on their star appeal.
Trinamool Congress has fielded two popular Bengali actors and a new age singer for the Lok Sabha polls with an aim to cash on their star appeal.
The three - actor Tapas Pal, actress Shatabdi Roy and singer Kabir Suman - have already hit the campaign trail in their respective constituencies across the state.
Pal, currently a party legislator from the prestigious Alipur constituency in the city, has been fielded from semi-urban Krishnagar constituency in Nadia district while Roy, making her debut in politics, is contesting from Birbhum, a predominantly rural seat.
Singer Suman, who was with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in her movement against farmland acquisition in Nandigam and Singur, has been given a ticket from Jadavpur on the fringe of the metropolis.
Two-time MLA Pal, who has starred in a number of Bengali hits like 'Dadar Kirti', has already hit the campaign trail in Krisnagar.
Though a newcomer in politics, Roy, who has acted opposite Pal in a number of Bengali films, launched her campaign on Saturday last in Birbhum by offering prayers at the famous Kali temple at Tarapith.
Roy, whose roles in the 'jatras' (folk theatres) has taken her across the length and breadth of rural Bengal, described her new avatar as an altogether new experience, saying this would present her with a new opportunity to get closer to the people.
For singer Suman, it is a role reversal. Suman, who was once identified with the Leftists, is now determined to carry forward his fight against the CPI-M as a Trinamool Congress candidate from Jadavpur.
The singer has a unique style of campaign with his speech frequently interspersed with a couple of lines from his songs. Not only that, Suman was also seen painting his own poll symbol on the walls along with party workers.
Suman's CPI-M rival and existing MP from Jadavpur dubbed him as a 'good singer', but said the people will decide whether they will accept him in his new role of a political worker.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee had recently said that her party wanted to accommodate all sections of people, including actors and singers.
Political observers, however, wondered whether like southern states, the film actors could pull off victories in Bengal which does not have much of a tradition of electing film personalities.
Film actors like Victor Banerjee, Mousumi Chatterjee, Anup Kumar and Biplab Chatterjee had failed to sail through in the past elections in the state although there were exceptions like Tapas Pal and Anil Chatterjee.
But, Pal and Roy are not much worried about it as they are happy being 'emissaries' of 'Didi'.
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