As the six-phase Assembly poll begins in West Bengal tomorrow, political greenhorns from various fields, including from cinemas, cricket, football and investment banking have entered the fray.
The candidates’ list of various parties includes film stars, soccer and cricket players, a retired army colonel, and a former investment banker.
Retired Colonel Diptanshu Chaudhary, who had fought in the Kargil War, is now seeking votes on a BJP ticket from the coal belt of Asansol south constituency to fight against the “misrule” of the ruling Trinamool Congress.
During his campaigns he seeks to invoke a spirit of nationalism by proudly recalling the war tales of Kargil. His rival is TMC’s sitting MLA Tapas Banerjee.
Trinamool Congress, on the other hand, is banking on former investment banker Mahua Moitra, who left her lucrative job as vice-president of JP Morgan in London to join politics, and is contesting the Karimpur seat in Nadia district.
Having made the transition from the corporate boardroom to the election war-room of a political party, she is trying hard to shed the tag of a political greenhorn.
The list of candidates of all political parties show there are at least three soccer stars who are in the fray.
Football icon Bhaichung Bhutia is no stranger to politics. He had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha polls on a TMC ticket.
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