Actor Mithun Chakraborty in Kolkata tonight, to be part of PM Modi’s Sunday rally?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public rally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Grounds tomorrow. There’s a lot of curiosity and talks on which “stars” may attend the rally in presence of PM Modi.

Among the names being discussed most is that of actor Mithun Chakraborty, who was also Trinamool Congress’ Rajya Sabha MP. He was nominated by Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee in February 2014 and he resigned in December 2016. The actor who is popular in West Bengal and across the country, hasn’t been part of active politics since then.

However, a few weeks back, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat called on Chakraborty in the actor’s Mumbai home. Mithun Chakraborty had then said that it was not a “political” meeting, but something “spiritual”.

However, BJP leaders in Bengal have been hinting over the past few days that Mithun Chakraborty will be in Kolkata on Saturday evening, and he is likely to be at the PM’s Sunday rally at the Brigade grounds. Confirmations were not available from the actor’s end, and BJP leaders were not clear whether he would simply pledge support to the BJP at the rally, or whether he would directly join the party and contest the elections scheduled in March-April 2021.

PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are expected to address over 70 rallies in the run up to the Assembly elections in West Bengal. Modi himself will speak at 20-25 rallies, and Amit Shah is likely to address about 50 rallies in various parts of the state.

After the announcement of the election dates, Sunday’s rally will be the first of BJP’s election campaigns in Bengal. The BJP claims that the meeting will have 10-15 lakh people on that day. The Left parties, Congress and ISF meeting at Brigade had drawn a large crowd and the BJP leaders have visited the area to get an estimate of how many people the area can hold. Preparations are on accordingly, to target filling the ground and to mobilise people from across the state.

Apart from Modi and Shah, several Union ministers, and chief ministers from BJP-ruled states are also expected to hold rallies in Bengal ahead of the elections – scheduled from March 27 to April 29. Results will be out on May 2.