Bengali actor Paayel Sarkar on Thursday joined the BJP in Kolkata. State party chief Dilip Ghosh and BJP chief J P Nadda were present at the event. Visuals shared by news agency ANI show Sarkar with a BJP flag in her hand, with Ghosh standing next to her.
The news comes days after Bengali actors Yash Dasgupta and Hiron Chatterjee joined the BJP in poll-bound West Bengal. Earlier on Wednesday, actors Raj Chakraborty, Kanchan Mullick, and Sayoni Ghosh had joined the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress.
Sarkar is a prominent figure in Bengali films and Hindi TV shows. Born in Kolkata, she has acted in more than 30 Bengali films. Her most recent release was November 2020's Biye.com. Sarkar will also star in Raja Chanda's upcoming psychological thriller Magic, and in Suman Maitra’s upcoming crime thriller Shimanto.
Apart from her film roles, she has also portrayed significant roles in several TV shows and web series including Love Story, Waqt Batayega Kaun Apna Kaun Paraya, Ladies Special, and Mismatch.
Active on social media, Sarkar frequently posts pictures of her work and with fellow actors. Interestingly, while they will now find themselves on opposing sides politically, she appears to share a cordial relationship with TMC MPs Nusrat Jahan and Mimi Chakraborty.
According to a TOI report, Rachna Banerjee's popular show Didi No. 1 played host to all three of them, as well as Tanushree Chakraborty, towards the end of January this year. Visuals shared in the report show the group seemingly having fun together.
As the assembly elections inch closer, political parties in West Bengal are leaving no stone unturned to woo voters. However, it is presently unclear whether Sarkar will indeed be contesting polls, or from where she might be fielded.
