The spirit of Eid suffused Bengal on Wednesday, making many bitter political rivals take a day off from poll campaign rivalry and exchange greetings.

Throughout the day, candidates of various political parties joined the celebrations to use the festivities as a platform to connect with people in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.

BJP veteran Dilip Ghosh sprung a major surprise. The BJP candidate for Burdwan-Durgapur halted at a Trinamul-run water camp on the day of Eid at Talit-Dighirpar village of Baghar panchayat on his way to Bhatar for poll campaigning.

Ghosh, known for his no-holds barred controversial remarks, drank a glass of sherbet offered by Trinamul supporters.

Trinamul leader and chairperson of the Burdwan Development Authority Kakali Tah cordially welcomed Ghosh and offered a chair. As Trinamul supporters shouted “Joy Bangla”, Ghosh picked up the microphone at the camp and addressed the gathering.

Later, Ghosh said: “They stopped my car and offered me sherbet. It was a good gesture. But I decided to step out of my car to have the drink. They took me to their camp where I sat for a few minutes and had the drink before leaving for Bhatar. I told the crowd to celebrate all festivals with mutual respect and harmony.”

At Kamarhati’s Chhaigada ground, Trinamul’s candidate for Dum Dum constituency, Sougata Roy, caught up with his rival from the CPM, Sujan Chakraborty, at a community Eid celebration to exchange pleasantries.

“Sougatada spotted me and we met amid the celebrations. There was no scope for political talks. He is a senior person and I wished him well,” Chakraborty later told reporters.

In Bankura’s Machantala Bango Vidyalaya ground, Trinamul’s Arup Chakraborty got a sudden opportunity to meet his rival CPM’s Nilanjan Dasgupta when both went to attend a community Eid celebration. Both candidates wanted to meet people of the minority community who had gathered there in large numbers to offer Eid prayers.

CPM candidate Nilanjan Dasgupta ( left) and his Trinamul opponent for the Bankura Lok Sabha seat Arup Chakraborty (third from left) exchange greetings at an Eid greetings in Bankura on Thursday Picture by Rupesh Khan

Speaking to reporters, Dasgupta said: “We may belong to rival political parties. But both of us stay in the town and practise law in the same court. So how can we forget our mutual bond and courtesy?”

Added Chakraborty: “Any election is a matter of a few days, but our relationship is a long one and we cannot forget that.”

Trinamul’s candidate for the Baranagar Assembly bypoll, Sayantika Banerjee, and her CPM rival Tanmoy Bhattacharya exchanged pleasantries an Eid event organised by a minority community association at the Jama Masjid ground
in Alambazar.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Bhattacharya said: “Sayantika is not my rival. The politics she represents is my rival. I met her this morning amid the celebrations. Being a son of Baranagar, I welcomed her as she is an outsider and a guest. I wished her good health. She reciprocated.”

Many voters appreciated this sudden bonhomie. “Politics has taken an ugly turn where we often see rivals behaving as sworn enemies. So even if it is for Eid, the pleasantries were a welcome change,” said Chanchal Kar, a Dum
Dum voter.