Indian elections have always had a flair for the theatre. And in Bengal, where politics is much more entwined with daily life than most other if not all places in India, that drama can throw up spectacles to behold.
The message from the candidates is unmistakable: they are no different from the voters- whether in wielding a razor, kneading dough, or a communist bowing at a temple altar, invoking bhagwan for victory.
Here are some notable performances of the campaign season, which has just begun shifting gear.
The domestic virtuoso
Partha Hazari entering the kitchen of a voter and rolling out rotis (Videograb)
Whoever said a man is not meant for the kitchen needs to visit Hooghly’s Pursurah, where Trinamool Congress candidate Partha Hazari was seen entering the kitchen of a voter and rolling out rotis on a traditional clay oven.
Not to be outdone, Balagarh TMC candidate Ranjan Dhara spices at a voter’s home, proving that in this election season kitchen diplomacy is part of ‘how to win the heart of the voter’ playbook.
Master of the political trim
BJP MLA Anup Saha took on the role of the barber (Videograb)
In Dubrajpur, BJP MLA Anup Saha took on the role of the barber when he spotted one at work. The neta got busy, shaving off a man’s beard for the barber. Will it help him shave off the votes from the Trinamool? We’ll know in May.
The agrarian ally
In Malda, BJP candidate Gopal Chandra Saha did not shy away from getting his feet and hands dirty. He was seen alongside farmers, shoulder to shoulder, harvesting potatoes and complaining about the hardships of farmers under the TMC rule, ending on a swift note that with the BJP, everything would be alright. May he sow as he reaps.
Campaign attache for operation mocha
CPM candidate for Rajarhat-Gopalpur assembly constituency, Shuvojit Dasgupta, entered a household mid-campaign and started peeling mocha (Videograb)
You are busy, dealing with the complicated mocha (banana flower), peeling, cutting, chopping, deciding on whether to sprinkle some prawns or do it ‘Bangali niramish’ style, when suddenly, it’s light, camera, and action.
This is what happened in a household when the CPM candidate for Rajarhat-Gopalpur assembly constituency, Shuvojit Dasgupta, entered a household mid-campaign and started peeling mocha.
We apologise for not bringing you a critical evaluation of his mocha skills.
Hammer to hymn: Comrade prays to god
n Panihati, CPM candidate began his campaign with prayers at the Mahotsavtala ghat temple dedicated to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The CPM’s Meenakshi Mukherjee also prayed at a temple in Uttarpara. (Videograb)
In Panihati, CPM candidate began his campaign with prayers at the Mahotsavtala ghat temple dedicated to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
It would not be news, had it not been for a certain Karl Marx’s declaration about opium and religion.
But then, Dasgupta is not the only comrade who has begun appealing to a higher power. The CPM’s Meenakshi Mukherjee also prayed at a temple in Uttarpara.
Matriarch of the masses
Mitali Bagh dancing with an old woman on her lap (Videograb)
Arambagh’s TMC candidate, Mitali Bagh, has been making waves on social media with her energetic campaign style. Whether it's dancing with an old woman on her lap or lending a hand in drying cow dung, she has left no stone unturned in portraying herself as the ‘grassroots’ diva.
Fin-tastic way to underline of freedom of food
You can call it part bold and part fishy.
Bidhannagar BJP candidate, Dr Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay, on Sunday was found canvassing holding a huge catla fish in one hand, meant to blunt the TMC's campaign that if the BJP comes to power in Bengala non-vegetarian ban would follow.
Gold medal: The indefatiguable runner
Neither heat nor rain could stop Keshiari Assembly constituency’s TMC candidate, Ramjivan Mandi, from running a whopping 12 km to attend the TMC second-in-command Abhishek Banerjee’s meeting.
While his followers followed him in a bike procession, the 55-year-old Mandi created a buzz with this.