After stealing the show, TMC 'star' winners to focus on tackling pandemic

KOLKATA: For all the winning celebrity candidates of Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the Bengal Assembly election, the priority is to manage the second wave of Covid-19 in their constituencies. TMC's winning celebrity candidates — Raj Chakraborty (Barrackpore), Soham Chakraborty (Chandipur), Kanchan Mullick (Uttarpara), June Maliah (Medinipur), Lovely Maitra (Sonarpur Dakshin) and Aditi Munshi (Rajarhat-Gopalpur) said their priority at the moment was to tackle the pandemic in their respective constituencies and the state.

However, 3 of the celebrity candidates from TMC — Saayoni Ghosh (Asansol Dakshin), Koushani Mukherjee (Krishnanagar Uttar) and Sayantika Banerjee (Bankura) — failed to make the cut.

The hit filmmaker of Parineeta, Raj — who stunned BJP's Chandramani Shukla in the Barrackpore constituency, said: "I am not someone who makes false promises. The people of Barrackpore have voted for me and I will not run away. Our first priority is Covid-19 management."

Raj said in Barrackpore and Titagarh, he would develop a ward-wise system where people could reach them for any Covid-19 related issues.

Bojhena Se Bojhena actor Soham might have had a tough luck in Barjora in 2016 but this time, he defeated BJP's Pulak Kanti Guria in Chandipur. "This victory is not mine… this victory belongs to the people of my constituency, who voted for Mamata Banerjee's development-schemes," he said.

An elated Kanchan Mullick, who battled it out in Uttarpara with TMC turncoat and BJP candidate Prabir Kumar Ghosal, said: "Covid is the most important thing now for all of us and we need to save people."

Folk singer Aditi Munshi had to face BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya in Rajarhat-Gopalpur. However, at the end of the day, people voted in favour of the soft-spoken Bengali singer.

"We, artistes, have a good heart, which is needed to serve the people," she said.

Meanwhile, Saayoni Ghosh, who was defeated by BJP's Agnimitra Paul in Asansol Dakshin, was praised by her colleagues in the Bengali film and television industry for her "tough fight."

From Dev, Parambrata Chatterjee to Raj, all praised her "fighting spirit."

Saayoni said: "I fought the election. I lost it and I accepted the people's mandate. From my shortcomings, I will learn my mistakes and stay in politics to improve myself," she added.

TMC MP and actor Dev, said during his election campaigns, he had witnessed how people admired 'Didi.'