Tale of two stories in Ghatal: TMC’s Dev enjoys adulation, BJP's Hiran faces obstacles

Kolkata: On Saturday, BJP's Ghatal candidate Hiranmoy Chatterjee faced numerous obstacles, particularly in Keshpur during the sixth phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In contrast, TMC's Dev, remained calm as he travelled between polling stations, switching between bike, car, and toto.

Wherever he went in Ghatal, one scene repeated itself — crowds of young girls and women flocking to him for selfies, while elders bestowed their blessings upon him.

In Chaulpura, Dev was seen happily taking photos and selfies with first-time voters. “This moment is special for them. They know they're now part of nation-building,” said Dev, the sitting TMC MP from Ghatal.

Meanwhile, his BJP counterpart, Hiran, remained in the spotlight in Ghatal on Saturday for facing obstruction in Keshpur. “For the past three months, BJP's Ghatal candidate (Hiran) has been consistently misleading. On polling day in Ghatal, there was an expectation that he'd resort to attention-seeking tactics,” said Dev.

Dev further highlighted an incident on the eve of the Ghatal LS elections, where Rs 24 lakh was seized from a BJP leader's vehicle in Daspur, West Midnapore district. “Should I waste polling day focusing on Hiran's actions, or should I prioritise visiting polling stations to ensure a peaceful election?” he questioned.

Dev also joined in the victory celebration at Dhaneswarpur Gopal Chandra Siksha Sadan, nearly one-and-a-half hours before polling concluded on Saturday. “For three months, our party workers have slogged continuously. They're confident in our victory,” he said.