As the West Bengal Assembly Election 2026 draws closer, political campaigning in West Bengal is witnessing an increasingly theatrical turn — where stump speeches are now being complemented by scissors, razors, and street-side snacks.
In a striking display of grassroots theatrics, Ramaprasad Giri, the BJP candidate from Narayangarh in West Medinipur, recently transformed a routine campaign stop into an impromptu barber’s shop. Walking into a modest local salon in the Belda area, Giri picked up a razor and proceeded to shave a customer mid-session.
The unusual spectacle did not end there. The candidate was also seen relishing ‘jhal-fuchka’ by the roadside, while locals welcomed him with incense sticks—an eclectic mix of symbolism, spontaneity, and street-level engagement designed to strike a chord with the electorate.
Interestingly, Giri is not alone in this razor-wielding brand of campaigning. Just days earlier, Anup Saha, contesting from Dubrajpur in Birbhum, made headlines for a similar act—shaving a voter during his campaign trail.
Together, these episodes underscore a growing trend where candidates are swapping podiums for props in a bid to humanise their political persona.
For Giri, however, the strategy is as much about symbolism as it is about accessibility. “We aspire to stand by the people in every walk of life. Serving them is the very ethos of the BJP,” Giri remarked, framing the act not as a gimmick but as an extension of grassroots connection.
Narayangarh, located at the southernmost edge of the constituency, has become a focal point of Giri’s high-octane campaign. From door-to-door outreach to market visits and organisational meetings, the candidate has maintained a relentless pace. Yet, this latest “barber diplomacy” has drawn mixed reactions, with some praising its relatability while others dismissing it as a political spectacle.
Giri’s electoral journey in Narayangarh carries its own narrative weight. In the 2021 Assembly polls, he faced a narrow defeat at the hands of Suryakanta Atta of the TMC, losing by just 1,800 votes. Despite the setback, he remained embedded in the constituency, a factor that appears to have earned him a renewed ticket from the BJP.
The contest this time, however, promises to be equally competitive. The TMC has fielded Pratibha Rani Maity, while the Left Front has nominated Tapas Sinha, setting the stage for a multi-cornered battle.
Notably, the BJP’s candidate selection in Narayangarh had recently sparked internal dissent, with sections of party workers staging protests and even resorting to vandalism at the party office. For now, however, the dust appears to have settled, with no fresh incidents reported.
As Bengal’s electoral theatre grows ever more inventive, one thing is clear—in this high-stakes contest, even a razor can become a political instrument—and every shave, a symbolic gesture in the pursuit of votes.
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