Kolkata: TMC’s Baranagar candidate for the Assembly polls, Sayantika Banerjee, who has begun campaigning and is highlighting development work in the Constituency, said she is confident of winning the upcoming polls by doubling her 2024 by-election margin.
The sitting MLA, Banerjee, has been holding intensive ‘para baithaks’ (street corner meet) across all municipal wards, addressing local issues even before the polls were announced. The Tollywood star’s “girl-next-door” appeal remains a key USP, with her stepping up grassroots outreach after being renominated for a second term. During one such interaction, Banerjee led a march through Baranagar’s lanes as hundreds of party activists waved flags and chanted the ruling party’s “Joy Bangla” slogan, urging voters to support her. Local TMC leaders say her year-long focus on street-corner outreach and direct voter contact could prove decisive.
“I had only about a year as an MLA. Many projects have been initiated and will be completed in due course, while several others are still underway,” Banerjee said during her door-to-door campaign on Thursday.
In her brief tenure, Banerjee has initiated or completed several notable projects, including a full renovation of the local Bidhan Sishu Udyan park using MLA-LADS funds, the establishment of a football training centre, and a martial arts programme for girls, emphasising women’s safety. Banerjee has also set up a public toilet in Baranagar’s Indiranagar area, spending Rs 11 lakh from her MLA-LADS funds. Responding to demand in Horijan Mahalla, she facilitated the construction of a community toilet at an estimated cost of Rs 7 lakh.
Banerjee oversaw the renovation and beautification of Moyradanga, an area that had become a dumping ground. She also implemented CCTV surveillance across Baranagar to enhance public safety. Banerjee’s main rival, BJP candidate Sajal Ghosh, claimed that Baranagar’s roads are riddled with potholes. Baranagar is going to witness a 3-cornered fight with CPI(M’s) Sayandip Mitra also in the fray.
In the 2024 Baranagar by-election, Banerjee narrowly defeated BJP’s Sajal Ghosh by 8,148 votes, securing 69,251 votes to Ghosh’s 61,103.