In a significant development noted film actress Jaya Bachchan has decided to campaign for the Trinamool Congress between April 5 and 8. She arrived in Kolkata on the evening of April 4.
The Rajya Sabha MP of Samajwadi Party is likely to share dais with West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, in at least one of the election meetings.
Jaya Bachchan, originally a Bengali from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, would address an election rally for three-time TMC MLA, Arup Biswas, who is contesting from Tollygunge, where the BJP has fielded Union minister and Asansol MP, Babul Supriyo. Biswas is the Minister for North Bengal Development in the present cabinet. Babul Supriyo is himself a Bengali singer. Tollygunge is known as Tollywood as it is the centre of Bengali film industry.
Political analysts are of the view that the TMC has taken the support of Jaya Bachchan to counter the influence of Mithun Chakravarty who is campaigning extensively for the BJP candidates in West Bengal. Mithun, a former TMC Rajya Sabha MP had joined BJP on March 7 at Narendra Modi’s rally in Kolkata. Besides, Jaya, wife of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, would be effective in mobilising women votes for the party. Three TMC women leaders on Sunday (April 4) strongly criticised the way the Prime Minister has been addressing Didi in his election speeches. They alleged that the Prime Minister of the country is derisively taunting the lone woman chief minister of the country.
As women use to form a substantial vote-bank of the TMC the party is fully trying to exploit this issue for electoral purposes. The third phase of polling for 31 Assembly seats is going to take place on April 6.
Jaya’s party, the Samajwadi Party, has already extended its full support to the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal.
