Khamosh… Trinamool, BJP aim to silence each other in Asansol bypoll

BJP candidate Agnimitra Paul in Asansol, who kicked off her campaign on Sunday by offering prayer at a temple, said she was 200% confident of winning the Asansol seat. “I am sure of winning from the seat and Trinamool can field an outsider Shatrughan Sinha (as our CM taught us to call everyone from outside the state) and he will leave Asansol saying ‘Khamosh’. Asansol is a traditional seat of BJP, not Trinamool,” said Paul.

People of Asansol are eagerly waiting to hear the catchphrase from Shatrughan Sinha himself, said All India Trinamool Congress members. “We are confident of Trinamool winning a landslide victory in Asansol,” said a party member, who did not wish to be identified.

Sinha started campaigning from Sunday evening after reaching West Bengal with a roadshow from Andal airport to Asansol town and workers’ meet. His daughter, actress Sonakshi Sinha, is likely to accompany him during his campaign.

‘Khela Hobe’ became an instant hit during the assembly polls, with the jingle playing in every campaign. The AITC made ‘Khela Hobe’ an anthem which became an instant hit during Mamata Banerjee and her party’s poll campaigns.

Meanwhile, the AITC’s Ballygunge assembly candidate Babul Supriyo also kicked off his campaign in the constituency on Sunday, playing football and karate with locals and meeting people at their residence, sharing a cup of tea with them.

From Asansol Lok Sabha seat, which was vacated by former Union minister Babul Supriyo, the BJP has fielded party MLA of Asansol (South) Agnimitra Paul. A fashion designer-turned-politician, Paul had defeated the AITC’s Sayoni Ghosh in the 2021 assembly polls. Asansol seat is prestigious for both the parties as Supriyo was twice the BJP MP from here, winning in 2014 and 2019. The seat got vacant after Supriyo defected to the AITC last year.