New Delhi: The Assembly elections in West Bengal are just round the corner, with the polling set to take place from April 23 and 29. The votes will be counted and the results will be declared for the 294-member Assembly in the state on May 4.
The quirky campaigns
Elections in India are festive affairs, with people participating with much pomp and energy. The campaigns before the polling events are something to watch for, with candidates and their respective parties taking different tactics to reach out to the voters. Sometimes, those campaign grab the headlines for their quirky approach.
For example, the BJP candidate in Bidhannagar, Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay. Amid raging debate as to whether the saffron party will try to change the food palate of the Bengali if they win the elections, he entered the campaign with a large katla fish in his hand. The aim is to show that Bengalis can indulge in their non-veg dishes including the staple fish and the BJP won’t try to alter that nature. Notably, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said during her speech on February 21, “Bengal cannot be occupied by coming from Delhi. They say they don’t know Bengali culture and that is why ask to stop eating fish and meat.”
The blindfolded game
In the Birbhum district, known as a stronghold of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), party candidate Naresh Chandra Bauri, on the occasion of Eid, took part in a local event, the traditional “handi phod” game. In the game, he was blindfolded and the candidate used a stick to tried break a suspended pot. He failed to hit the target, but whether he struck the right chord with the voters remains to be seen.
Becoming barbar
BJP candidate there and sitting MLA Anup Kumar Saha has brought about his own unique campaign strategy. He grabbed the headline by shaving a villager’s beard, with the video becoming viral on social media.
Making rotis
In Pursurah, TMC candidate Partha Hazari went to the voters’ houses and found that there was no cooking gas, and the housewife was rolling rotis on a wooden stove. The candidate himself picked up the rolling device and starting making rotis as his supporters shouted slogans inside the house.
The candidate of CPIM, Meenakshi Mukherjee, who was out campaigning in Uttarpara, was also seen attending a religious ceremony. The CPM leader also offered ghritahuti at the yagna. Meanwhile, BJP leader and heavyweight candidate Suvendu Adhikari had lunch at the house of a voter on Sunday after his campaign. In coming days, those watching the spectacle of Bengal elections can see much such quirky moves from the candidates.