Over the last few years, cricketer and Indian cricket board president Sourav Ganguly has fielded intense speculation about joining politics. And while many are convinced that he will join politics ahead of the assembly election in West Bengal, Ganguly himself has remained noncommittal.
The sports icon who recently suffered a mild heart attack had undergone multiple rounds of angioplasty to clear clogged coronary arteries. Diagnosed with Triple Vessel Disease, Ganguly is presently recuperating.
There is however speculation that he might attending Prime Minister Narendra Modi's West Bengal rally on March 7, and even join the party. The BJP however has denied these reports. Party leaders said that it would be entirely up to the former cricketer to decide whether to attend the rally or not. Dilip Ghosh has also dismissed the rumours of him joining the BJP ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections.
"I have no idea about it, nor has there been any discussion in the meeting," Ghosh told reporters when asked.
Over the last few months, as the West Bengal Assembly elections drew increasingly nearer, the various parties and alliances have vociferously insisted that they will win. And while this may be mere political posturing for some, both the BJP and the ruling TMC have set their sights on the 294 seat Assembly. But while the Trinamool Congress has a clear Chief Ministerial face in Mamata Banerjee, the BJP seems to be somewhat noncommittal on the topic.
Several names have been bandied about, and while some push for BJP state chief Dilip Ghosh, former TMC leaders Mukul Roy and Suvendu Adhikari have also emerged as contenders. Others however suggest that it might be someone wholly uninvolved with politics at present, namely Ganguly.
With no indications from the party however, it would appear that the BJP will not be releasing the name of a CM candidate at this time. West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2. The state is likely to witness a triangular contest this time with TMC, Congress-Left alliance and the BJP in the fray.
(With inputs from agencies)
