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Big names to lead Bengal campaign
The Congress’s list of star campaigners for the first two phases of the West Bengal polls starting March 27 contains its top four — president Sonia Gandhi, former PM Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
From BSP chief Mayawati to the Congress’s Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to the LJP’s Chirag Paswan and Kanhaiya Kumar of the CPI—parties have lined up their star campaigners for the West Bengal election that is touted as the most anticipated poll battle this summer.
The Congress’s list of star campaigners for the first two phases of the West Bengal polls starting March 27 contains its top four — president Sonia Gandhi, former PM Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. It has also listed three chief ministers — Captain Amarinder Singh, Bhupesh Baghel and Ashok Gehlot — and leaders Sachin Pilot and Navjot Singh Sidhu.
Bihar’s ruling party Janata Dal (United) has listed party president RCP Singh, general secretary KC Tyagi and its MPs Rajiv Ranjan Singh and Santosh Kushwaha, among others, as star campaigners. While chief minister Nitish Kumar’s name also figures in the list, he is unlikely to go to seek votes in West Bengal.
The expenses incurred for the star campaigners’ travel and campaigning are not added to the individual candidate’s account by the Election Commission but they are borne by the parties. This helps individual candidates not to overshoot their poll expenditure ceiling prescribed by the commission. Each party contesting an election can furnish its star campaigners’ list with the poll panel.
Another Bihar-based party, the Lok Janashakti Party, has announced it will contest polls in Bengal and Assam and has pitched party chief Chirag Paswan among 15 leaders as star campaigners. Three other MPs, Mehboob Ali Kaiser, Beena Devi and Prince Raj, are also expected to campaign.
Bengal not only shares a long boundary with Bihar, but a significant section of Bengal’s workforce has roots in the neighbouring state, attracting Bihar-based parties to join the fray in the Bengal elections.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar and JNUSU president Aishee Ghosh of the CPI(M) have been named star campaigners for their respective parties. The CPI(M) has named a host of other leaders, including party chief Sitaram Yechury and politburo members Brinda Karat and Md Salim as top campaigners. But former general secretary Prakash Karat’s name has not appeared in the list of star campaigners so far.
