Jalpaiguri: A massive gathering filled the Town Club ground in Maynaguri as the Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee led his first election campaign meeting in support of candidates from Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Darjeeling and Alipurduar.
As multitudes turned up to catch a glimpse of and hear Abhishek, the sombre election campaign took on the picture of a fair, with food stalls and a few toy shops also set up.
Many had arrived early in the morning to get a vantage position on the ground. Banerjee arrived at around 3 pm. The long wait, however, did not dampen the crowd’s enthusiasm. Sixty-four-year-old Jagdish Roy from Dinhata in Cooch Behar, who attended the meeting, expressed his excitement, stating: “I’ve always wanted to see Abhishek Banerjee in person. However, it never happened until today. This time, I came on a line truck with four young men from my area just to catch a glimpse. I left home at 9 am, had a bite to eat, and then headed straight to the meeting grounds.”
As Abhishek’s motorcade finally entered the venue, the crowd erupted amidst drum beats and the election theme song, waving placards. Tight security prevented Adhir Ranjan Barman, a Trinamool supporter from Jalpaiguri’s Nandanpur Boal Mari, from entering. Disappointed, he remarked: “I’ve been a TMC supporter for a long time and follow the ideals of Mamata Banerjee. I came to hear what Abhishek Banerjee has to say for the party’s candidate to win this election.”
Sukumar Adhikari of Indira More seized the opportunity to set up a stall selling almond and coconut sweets at the ground. “I have to support my family by selling these homemade sweets. From morning until the end of the meeting, I did brisk business. I hope more such public meetings are held so that I can earn some money during elections,” he shared.