Kolkata: Celebrities joining the politics and fighting polls is not new in West Bengal. With the TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee starting this legacy in 2011 Assembly polls, even the 2021 Assembly polls will not have much difference as now both the TMC and the BJP are depending on the celebrity faces as their probable candidates.
With Bengali actor Srabanti Chatterjee joining the BJP, it was clear that she will contest the poll scheduled in eight phases starting this month.
The actor was welcomed by West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh and West Bengal BJP observer Kailash Vijaywargiya at a five-star hotel in Kolkata.
Joining the saffron camp the Bengali actor said that she is ready to contest the poll and left the party's senior leaders to decide the rest.
"Though I was there in the TMC, I chose to defect as I want to work for the people of West Bengal," asked the 33-year-old actor.
Asked about whether she will work with Tollywood director Raj Chakraborty who had joined the ruling Trinamool Congress last month to which the 'Amanush' actress said that politics and acting in films are two different things.
Earlier last week, another noted Bengali actor Payal Sarkar joined the BJP. It can be recalled that last week Bengali actor with a Mumbai connection Yash Dasgupta joined the saffron camp and a day after Hiran Chatterjee also followed suit.
According to BJP sources, many more Bengali actors are in the priority list of the BJP leaders.
It is pertinent to mention that several heavyweight actors like Kanchan Mullick, June Malliya and Sayani Ghosh along with Bengali film director Raj Chakraborty and cricketer Manoj Tiwary had joined the ruling Trinamool Congress and are also likely to contest the upcoming Assembly polls.
Meanwhile, where the BJP is making popular celebrities from the Bengali film industry join the group, Modipara, the body that is promoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the face of BJP in the polls made it to Ganguly Bagan area of South Kolkata to campaign for Modi.
Talking to Free Press Journal, BJP Delhi spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga said people across the state are welcoming Modipara and are also joining the campaign amidst chants of 'Jai Shri Ram'.
"With each day the followers of Modipara is increasing and looking at the spirit of people it is clear that lotus will bloom in West Bengal," stated Bagga.
