Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Jadavpur candidate Anupam Hazra on Monday called on Trinamool Congress Birbhum district chief Anubrata Mandal.
Elections are on in Birbhum’s Bolpur and Birbhum parliamentary seats in the fourth phase. The meeting raised eyebrows and led to speculations and many started reading between the lines after this meeting that was projected as a “courtesy call”.
Anupam Hazra had been suspended from Trinamool Congress for anti-party activities and he joined the BJP in March. Later, his name was announced as BJP candidate from Jadavpur constituency.
Born in Bolpur (Shantiniketan), Hazra was elected parliamentarian from the Bolpur seat in 2014. Elections in Jadavpur seat – from where Hazra is contesting this time – will be held in the last phase, on May 18. As such it was not unusual for him to be in Bolpur on poll day in that district. Hazra and Anubrata Mandal are said to have shared great camaraderie for long. And when BJP candidate Hazra reached the Trinamool Congress party office, he touched Mandal’s feet and was blessed in turn. Anubrata Mandal was seen on camera asking Hazra if he had taken lunch, and when he said he hadn’t, Mandal made him eat lunch at the party office.
Hazra said it was a courtesy call and he meant to come and meet Mandal as there were two deaths of his family members in the past few months. Mandal in turn said that Hazra had “made a mistake” but he was still his well-wisher.
Anubrata Mandal has been under the watch of district officers representing the Election Commission from last night and will be so till Tuesday morning, as per instructions from the EC.
During the day, Mandal moved the Calcutta High Court against the EC move, but did not get an order in his favour. Even as he was under watch, Mandal went out to vote and later, Anupam Hazra called on him in his Bolpur office.
