The enduring trend of major political parties in West Bengal aligning themselves with silver-screen personalities persists in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
Stars from bygone eras stand shoulder to shoulder with contemporary celluloid icons, adding a dash of glamour to the electoral arena.
The ruling Trinamool Congress, maintaining its lead, has once again positioned itself ahead of the competition by fielding six out of nine film stars in the electoral fray, mirroring its past strategies.
In contrast, the opposition BJP has put forward two film personalities, while the CPI (M) has pinned its hopes on a notable figure from the Tollygunge film and TV industry to challenge the ruling party's dominance.
Mamata Banerjee has reaffirmed her trust in the allure of Bollywood by nominating veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha, a recurring candidate from Asansol, and Tollygunge's reigning superstar Dipak Adhikari, popularly known as Dev, for a third consecutive term in the Lok Sabha.
Additionally, the party has chosen tried and tested contemporary actor-politicians Saayoni Ghosh and June Maliah to represent the Jadavpur and Medinipur constituencies respectively.
Satabdi Roy, another esteemed star from the 80s, seeks her fourth term from Birbhum, while former Miss Calcutta and beloved TV show host Rachana Banerjee has entered the political arena as TMC's candidate from the Hooghly seat.
TMC’s inclination for film stars also comes with Mamata Banerjee's decision to drop from the fray Mimi Chakraborty and Nusrat Jahan, leading ladies of the Bengali film fraternity who won the polls in 2019 from Jadavpur and Basirhat seats respectively.
"I am happy to be working under the country's strongest and most popular political figure Mamata Banerjee and want to continue serving the people of Asansol," Sinha, fondly called 'Bihari babu' by his fans, said.
The veteran actor has already spent over two decades in politics and switched camps from the BJP to the Trinamool following his fallout with the Narendra Modi-led BJP regime.
A distant follower of the TMC with respect to the number of showbiz figures it has managed to field, the BJP’s candidate list includes actor-turned-politician Locket Chatterjee from the Hooghly seat and Tolly star Hiran Chatterjee from Ghatal.
While Hiran, a sitting BJP MLA from Kharagpur, takes on fellow star Dev, debutant Rachana finds herself pitted against Locket, the incumbent MP from Hooghly.
An initially reluctant Dev, who publicly expressed his desire to stay away from electoral politics during the current polls, later relented under the insistence of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and the party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
"My dream is to implement the Ghatal masterplan which will put an end to people's distress arising out of recurrent floods in the area. I have been trying to implement the project since 2014 and felt I should continue in politics a while longer and finish what I started," Dev said.
Dev's rival Hiran had debuted in politics ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls.
"It’s easy to fight injustices on reels, but you have to be part of the system to change it," said Hiran who is a bitter critic of alleged corruption under the current TMC regime.
Rachana, so far, seems to be enjoying the different kind of limelight she has been put under.
"I don't believe politics is a pastime for people like us. Village women are mobbing me. They want to touch me. Men are asking me to bless their children during road shows," said Banerjee, host of the high TRP-grosser 'Didi Number One' reality show.
Rachana, though, drew a flak from her rival Locket who is seeking re-election for the third time.
"If she thinks hitting campaign trails coming straight from a studio and waving hands at people will fetch her votes, she is grossly mistaken. Elections are a different ball game," Chatterjee said.
Another familiar face from the industry, June Maliah, a Trinamool MLA of the Medinipur assembly segment, is locking horns with BJP's Agnimitra Paul, a known fashion designer and MLA of Asansol South, at the Medinipur Lok Sabha seat.
TMC’s youth wing president and a popular actor in her own right, Saayoni Ghosh, has been pitchforked by the party to lead the party's challenge in Jadavpur. Ghosh had unsuccessfully contested against Paul in the 2021 assembly elections.
"My experiences over the past three years have been rewarding and helped me mature as a politician. That is allowing me to reach out to my electorate in a better manner this time," Ghosh said.
CPI(M) nominee Devdut Ghosh, a familiar face in TV soaps, OTT platforms and films, is trying his luck from the Barrackpore Lok Sabha seat after biting the dust in the 2021 state polls from Tollygunj.
"As an actor, I have a certain sensitivity. I cannot remain confined to my profession and fraternity when the state is burning. I need to respond and drive home my message to the people I can connect with," he said, justifying his foray into electoral politics.
TMC spokesperson Trinankur Bhattacharya said, "Dev, June and Saayoni have already proved their political acumen. While Dev and June have regularly been in touch with the voters of their constituencies, Saayoni gave a good fight to the BJP in 2021. She has emerged as an important leader with street fighter instincts.
SFI state committee member Subhajit Sarkar called TMC’s nomination of candidates like Rachana Banerjee "nothing but a stunt". "Remember they did not renominate Nusrat Jahan or Mimi Chakraborty. People have seen through their gimmicks," he said.
BJP’s actor-leader Rudranil Ghosh said he was all in favour of people joining politics from various walks of life. "But we don't need star personalities with little or no idea of what they are getting into," he added.
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