Stormy petrel of West Bengal politics Mamata Banerjee has vowed to make a clean sweep of all the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in her state going to polls in seven phases commencing April 11.
Announcing the list of candidates on Tuesday for 42 Lok Sabha seats with 41 per cent representation to women, including Tollywood sensations Mimi Chakraborty and Nusrat Jahan, Ms Banerjee has given a clarion call to oust the NDA government at the Centre and called upon the party activists to gird up the loins for ensuring that the party romps home in all the seats.
The 64-year-old fiesty leader emerged as a prudent leader who not only ended the Left Front’s 34 year rule in the state but also portrayed herself as an ‘icon of change’ in the state, giving adequate representation to women once again, the party has made women candidates from 17 of the 42 seats in the state.
This makes about 41 per cent of the candidates, up from 35 per cent MPs last time.
The names of the women candidates are Arpita Ghosh, Mausam Noor from, Mahua Moitra, Rupali Biswas, Mamata Thakur, Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Nusrat Jahan Pratima Mondal, Mimi Chakraborty, Mala Roy, Sajda Ahmed, Dr Ratna De Nag, Aparupa Poddar, Beerbaha Soren, Mamtaz Sanghamita, Sreemati Dev Varma (Moon Moon Sen) and Satabdi Roy.
Banerjee, a firebrand orator, coined a catchy slogan “Ma, Mati o Manush” (mother, land and people) has come up with a surprise choice – Bengali film’s leading heroine Mimi Chakraborty has been made the candidate from Jadavpur constituency in place of sitting MP and Harvard University professor Sugato Bose and another popular actress Nusrat Jahan from Basirhat by dropping sitting MP Idrish Ali.
After selected as a candidate from Jadavpur constituency, Mimi Chakraborty said, ‘I am thankful to the chief minister as she has selected me as a candidate. I seek everybody’s help and cooperation to discharge my duties.”
About choosing politics at the peak of her film career, she said that she has never been calculative and loves to reach out to the masses. “People have loved my films, so am very optimistic. I have always loved to be there for the people so I think I will be able to do it,” she said.
“I just want everyone to bless me as I have full faith in my multi-tasking skills and I believe I will be able to prove myself. I am ready with my sneakers on,” the actor said with confidence, hours after the Trinamool supremo announced her name as the party nominee.
Asked how she would cope with the rigorous campaigning in remote village areas, Chakraborty said, “I am completely ready for it.”
Mimi shot to fame for her acting in Posto, Gangster, Yoddha opposite Deb and Sudhu Tomari Jonyo among others. (UNI)
