Calcutta, March 5: Madan Mitra's followers gathered in front of the Alipore central jail's gates and his family members met him today, a day after the former minister was re-nominated as a Trinamul candidate for the Assembly elections.

Jail sources said Mitra, behind bars in connection with a Saradha case, "looked happy" yesterday after learning he had been fielded from the Kamarhati seat in North 24-Parganas, which he represents.

"There is a marked change in his body language. Earlier, he used to keep to himself. Since his candidature was announced, he has been upbeat and has been talking to the other inmates," a jail official said.

"Around 1.40pm, Mitra's family members, including his wife, two sons and daughter-in-law, came to meet him. They brought lunch for him."

Around 500 metres away in another cell, another Saradha accused sat quietly on his wooden bed, as usual, through the day. Jail sources said Saradha chief Sudipta Sen "kept to himself".

"That is how he spends his days. Once a week he requests permission to make a phone call. A warden accompanies him to the booth inside the compound," a jail official said.

"Other than that, he hardly steps out of his cell. Most of the time, we see him sitting on his bed, running his fingers through his beard."

The official added: "He knows about Mitra's re-nomination."

One of the CBI's chargesheets says that Sen had "helped" Mitra during the campaign for the 2011 Assembly elections.

"Sudipta Sen had helped Madan Mitra fight the 2011 Assembly elections from Kamarhati by providing him vehicles of the Saradha Group and paying his fuel expenses and his drivers' salaries," the chargesheet says.

The CBI has also alleged that Mitra would visit Sen at the Saradha chief's Midland Park office "at night/evening".

In Kamarhati today, Mitra's supporters began campaigning with posters saying " Satyameva jayate (the truth will win)".