Sobhandeb kicks off poll campaign, eyes another win
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) veteran Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay on Wednesday kicked off his election campaign with wall writing in the Kankulia area of Ballygunge.
The octogenarian, fielded for the first time from Ballygunge, has previously contested from Baruipur, Rashbehari, Bhowanipore and Khardah in North 24-Parganas.
He won the Baruipur seat on a Congress ticket in 1991 and 1996, and later secured four consecutive victories from Rashbehari. In 2021, he won from Bhowanipore before resigning to pave the way for Mamata Banerjee to contest the by-election. He subsequently contested from Khardah, winning the bypoll by a margin of 93,832 votes.
Reacting to his record of contesting from multiple constituencies while maintaining a winning streak, Chattopadhyay said that as a dedicated party soldier, he is willing to contest from any seat the party assigns to him.
He expressed confidence about his prospects in Ballygunge, citing his familiarity with the constituency.
“I have been closely associated with the management of elections for Subrata Mukherjee, who contested from Ballygunge on more than one occasion. I have many friends, relatives and party workers here. I was new in Khardah, too, and I won by a huge margin there. I am confident of a clean sweep here as well,” he said.
His late wife, Supriya Chattopadhyay, who was also politically active, was a resident of Ballygunge.
Following the death of Subrata Mukherjee in November 2021, Babul Supriyo contested the Ballygunge by-election on a Trinamool Congress ticket and was elected MLA.
However, the party saw a decline in votes in predominantly minority-dominated wards. Responding to this, Chattopadhyay said: “People know me as someone who connects with everyone, irrespective of caste, creed or religion. I am confident of winning over minority voters in this constituency.”
He also revealed that the party leadership had informed him in advance about his candidature from Ballygunge, prompting him to begin outreach efforts in the constituency even before the official announcement.
