On the last lap before Saturday’s civic polls, one familiar face emerged as the rallying point for the BJP: Roopa Ganguly. Debarred by a law dating back to 1899 from contesting the elections, hounded and pushed by alleged Trinamul supporters at an Alipore party meeting, and threatened with arrest by the chief minister, the spotlight has firmly been on ‘Draupadi’. Metro remained by Roopa’s side throughout voting time on Saturday. A few frames of the feisty lady from V-Day.
9am: Roopa Ganguly, actress-turned-BJP leader, is pacing the rooms of her fourth-floor apartment adjoining the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) greens. She’s wound up but not weary. The 48-year-old looks striking in a white cotton sari, with a broad and bright maroon border. “I woke up earlier than usual,” she says, after being out late on Friday visiting party camps in Sonarpur and Baruipur. “People were so happy to see me, I had a wonderful time. But when I came home I heard that one of our candidates had been attacked. I was very worried. I went to sleep with my phone under my pillow.” On poll day, Roopa has been advised by the party leadership to stay indoors and avoid trouble. After all, she has emerged as the ruling party’s target number one. “It’s not me but the BJP’s rise that they are afraid of. But I will follow the advice of the BJP state leaders,” says Roopa, an eye on ABP Ananda and a phone glued to her ear. “Ward 94, booth 4... people are not being allowed to cast their vote,” she alerts members of the press who have started to gather in her living room.
12.15pm: Roopa has had enough. “This is my place, my city, my state. I live here, I belong here and so I will go out,” she announces. She’s changed into a white-and-gold Kerala sari. “I have been asked not to go to the booths and I will not. I just want to visit some of the BJP camps so that the workers know that I am there for them.” Her vehicle of choice on V-Day? The black Scorpio whose windscreen had been smashed during the Alipore attack (and which has since been fixed). Seconds later, still on Golf Club Road, her car screeches to a halt. She steps out to point at the pile of garbage and plastic lining a pond. “Is this the corporation that has been voted to power? Is this how we must live?”
12.30pm: “Shob thik achhe? Shabdhane theko shobai, kono gondogol koro na. Amra kintu kono maramari chai na....” Roopa hops from one BJP camp to another around Tollygunge, meeting workers, enquiring if everything is in order, urging them to stay safe and keep calm. All the while keeping a safe distance from the booths and stating: “Dekho, aami kintu 100 metre-er baire aachhi...” The BJP candidate from Ward 94 Shyamali Sarkar steps forward to brief Roopa about some violence and intimidation by alleged Trinamul activists. “When I hear of people being terrorised, I feel more strongly about my need to fight,” says Roopa.
1.30pm: Roopa has reached the BJP state office in Muralidhar Sen Lane, near College Street. She is upbeat. “I’ve never seen party offices or how people operate on polls days. Now I am feeling confident,” she smiles, striding into the first-floor office to be greeted by Rahul Sinha and Locket Chatterjee. The two actresses share a laugh over a recent remark by Trinamul minister Subrata Mukherjee blaming the Alipore attack on the supposed Locket vs Roopa rivalry. “They are saying that you got me beaten up!” smiles Roopa. “Yes, I heard! I must be suffering from Alzheimer’s that I can’t recall anything!” laughs Locket.
2.30pm: After an hour spent in the BJP office, Roopa steps out. It’s time to move on. “I have to head to Sonarpur and Baruipur after lunch. I promised them I’d be there today and I can’t let them down,” she says. And where does Roopa Ganguly go from here? After today, that is. “I’m taking small steps but I am moving forward. It’s a huge responsibility. Believe you me, I will do my best,” she tells Metro. What about films? “I will devote three months to films and nine months to this.” Apt, for the rebirth of Roopa.
Text: Mohua Das. Pictures: Pabitra Das and Pradip Sanyal
