Amid the heat of campaigning, two CPM candidates from Nadia district on Saturday displayed exemplary warmth as they stepped away from their campaign trail to save the lives of two critically ill patients.

Sabuj Das, 37, the CPM nominee from Kalyani, rushed to the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital after learning that an elderly patient, Vijay Pal of Gayeshpur Katagan, was in urgent need of ‘O negative’ blood, a rare group that Pal's family had been struggling to procure.

As Das heard that the patient’s haemoglobin level was dropping rapidly, he rushed to the hospital, being an ‘O negative’ donor, and donated blood.

“My father badly needed blood from the 'O negative' group,” said Amit Pal, the patient’s son. "We are grateful to Sabuj Das."

Das, who is doing his PhD in physical education at Kalyani University, quietly resumed his campaign.

Locals and party insiders said that Das had actively worked as a ‘Red Volunteer’ during the Covid-19 pandemic, arranging oxygen cylinders and facilitating hospital admissions.

“I donate blood regularly. When I heard that a person needed 'O negative' blood, I went to the hospital immediately,” Das said. “If politics is for the people, then first of all, one should stand by the people.”

The CPM's Tehatta candidate, Subodh Biswas, a retired schoolteacher, mobilised a blood donor to save a 45-year-old woman, Aparna Mondal of Hogolberia, who was admitted to Tehatta Subdivision Hospital with critically low haemoglobin caused by liver problems.

Her family had been searching for ‘B positive’ blood for three days without success.

“My sister needed ‘B positive’ blood. After searching for three days without getting any blood, we informed CPM candidate Subodh Biswas on Saturday afternoon seeking his help if possible,” said Narayan Chandra Mandal, the patient’s brother.

Biswas, who was campaigning in the Cinema Hall Para area of Tehatta market at the time, immediately started looking for a donor. He identified Mustakim Sheikh, an SFI supporter from Natunpara, whose blood group matched Mondal's. Suspending his campaign, Biswas escorted the donor to the hospital and ensured that the blood donation process was completed in his presence.

“We are grateful to Subodh Babu and Mustakim Sheikh,” Mondal's brother said with folded hands.

Hospital sources indicated that the Tehatta subdivision hospital Blood Bank is currently grappling with an acute shortage of supply, compounded by the absence of regular blood donation camps and staff constraints. Families of patients are frequently left scrambling to arrange blood in emergencies.

Downplaying the gesture, Biswas said: “We have not done anything great."