Kolkata: Bengali superstar Dev filed his nomination as Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) candidate for the Ghatal Lok Sabha constituency in Bengal on Thursday.
Deepak Adhikari, popularly known as Dev, is seeking re-election for a third consecutive term. He donated blood at a camp organised in the area in the morning, following which he filed the nomination papers.
“Blood banks are experiencing a crisis. Serving people (by donating blood) is the greatest job. I will urge people to donate blood and not shed blood. Donating blood means giving a new life to someone,” he said after filing his nomination.
Dev said he would plant trees equal to the number of votes he gets in the elections, and also urged people to take similar initiatives.
“This year, we are experiencing a record rise in the temperature. April has not been so hot in the last few years. So, I have taken this initiative of planting trees. If I get 9 lakh votes, I will plant 9 lakh trees,” he said.
Dev acknowledged the significance of the Ghatal Master Plan and stated: “This is definitely a raging issue... and to implement it, if I have to take a rebirth, I will do that.”
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also pledged her support for the Ghatal Master Plan, announcing in February that her government would undertake the project without Central assistance. The plan, with a budget of Rs 1,250 crore, aims to benefit 17 lakh people. The BJP has fielded another Bengali actor, Hiran Chatterjee — the MLA of Kharagpur Sadar, against Dev, while the Congress-backed CPI candidate is Tapan Ganguly. Polling is scheduled in Ghatal on May 25.