Social media is presently abuzz with the news that Jaya Bachchan is getting involved with the West Bengal Assembly polls. The actor turned politician reportedly arrived in Kolkata on Sunday evening and is slated to campaign for the Trinamool Congress over the next few days.
The Samajwadi Party MP who is married to Amitabh Bachchan is expected to begin with a campaign for BJP leader and and Union Minister Babul Supriyo's rival, Arup Biswas in the Tollygunge constituency.
According to TMC sources, the will be in West Bengal from April 5 to April 8 for campaigning for the TMC party candidates. On Monday Jaya Bachchan will campaign from TMC candidate from is set to witness a tough fight as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Union Minister and party MP Babul Supriyo from the seat.
The development comes days after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote a letter to opposition leaders including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav "for a united and effective struggle against the BJP's attacks on democracy and Constitution" and suggested that a meeting should be held after the assembly polls to "deliberate the issues and chart out a plan of action".
According to a report by The Telegraph that quotes TMC spokesperson and fellow Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien, the lawmaker will "reveal the reason behind her visit to Bengal through a news conference on Monday". Visuals shared on Twitter also suggest that O'Brien had been a part of the team that received her at the airport.
Taking to Twitter on Monday morning, TMC Lok Sabha MP Dr. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar shared a picture of Bachchan being felicitated, dubbing her "Bengal's daughter". This phase incidentally harks back to the TMC's poll slogan, "Bangla Nijer Meyekei Chay".
Polling for the first two phases of the West Bengal polls were held on March 27 and April 1 respectively. The next phase of polling will take place on April 6. Earlier this month, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar had also been slated to arrive in Kolkata to campaign in favour of Mamata Banerjee. However, this was cancelled after Pawar underwent surgery at a Mumbai hospital at the end of March.
(With inputs from agencies)