With the festival of colours happening just as the Lok Sabha election bells have started tolling, political leaders used the occasion to reach out to the electorate. In every other block or ward, local leaders organised Holi get-togethers where they mingled with the crowd and in some cases, doled out appropriate gifts. But Trinamul Congress seemed to have a proactive edge in this regard compared to rival parties.
Asked when he would start campaigning, Bidhannagar MLA and fire and emergency services minister Sujit Bose said with a smile: “Etao toh campaign. (Even this is campaigning)”. He was walking towards the stage in BD Block on Saturday where local councillor Ratna Bhaumik had organised a Basanta Utsav. As Bose took the microphone, not a word was uttered about the polls. Instead, the four-time MLA urged everyone to celebrate, irrespective of caste, religion and creed, quoting the chief minister’s favourite slogan of harmony “Dhormo jar jar, utsab sobar”.
“I must have attended about a hundred programmes over Holi this weekend. There was one even on Tuesday at Bidhan Abasan,” he said. But he refused to call Doljatra a pre-poll opportunity to connect with people. “I am with people round the year.”
Trinamul Congress candidate for the Barasat Lok Sabha constituency (under which Salt Lake falls) and sitting MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who attended Doljatra gatherings at BD Park, BF ground as well as Sreebhumi last weekend, agreed that it helped that people gathered spontaneously on festive occasions like puja and Dol. “It provides us an edge over other days. But I make it a point not to talk of election when people are in a festive mood. We induge in abir khela. The upcoming Nava Varsha will provide another such opportunity,” she smiled.
“Over the last six months, meetings had been held at the block level in Salt Lake to understand people’s needs and I have acted upon the issues raised,” she told The Telegraph Salt Lake.
The councillors too went out of their way. Alo Dutta, the councillor of Ward 38, distributed colours and colour sprinklers among 300 children of Duttabad.
The Opposition parties were not that visible in the festive weekend. It is only on Sunday evening that that the BJP announced Swapan Majumdar as its candidate for the Barasat seat. “He is the MLA from Bongaon South. He cannot be at so many Holi programmes across such a wide area. Bidhannagar to Habra — think of the distance,” protested local BJP leader Umashankar Ghosh Dastidar, a BJ Block resident who was the chief election agent of the BJP candidate in 2019.
“Onek MLA, MP Holi khelechhe, dhol bajiechhe, khol bajiechhe, haater kachhe je ja peyechhe. E shob dekhe vote hoy na,” he said dismissively. People, he said, make their decision in the Parliamentary elections on the Modi versus Mamata question.
“And they have already made up their mind,” he claimed. Yet to get off the block is Left Front (LF). With its electoral ally Indian Secular Front (ISF) having already named a candidate in the seat, LF, which usually reserves the Barasat seat for Front partner Forward Bloc, has not managed to reach a decision yet. “Of course, the delay (in fielding a candidate) is costing us dear. Not just in missing opportunities to connect with people or start publicity on walls, but in various organisational preparations,” said a CPM leader from New Town. “But we will surely be on the road before Nava Varsha, which is a fortnight away,” he added.