Will highlight failures of BJP govt in campaign: Mala Roy

Kolkata: With the highly anticipated 2019 Lok Sabha elections drawing closer, Trinamool Congress nominee from Kolkata South constituency Mala Roy began her poll campaign on Wednesday. She was accompanied by Subrata Mukherjee, the party's nominee from Bankura.

Roy said that along with door-to-door campaign and rallies, she would give stress on social media as well. "We will approach the people on social media apart from going door-to-door. We will highlight the failure of the BJP government. Narendra Modi has not deposited Rs 15 lakh in the bank accounts of the people of the country as per his promise before the 2014 election. The note ban had affected common people very badly. The hate politics of BJP has become a major disaster for India. All these things will be highlighted during the campaign," she added.

A veteran politician, Roy had joined the Chatra Parishad in the 1970s. She had worked with leaders like Siddhartha Shankar Roy, Ajit Panja, Priya Ranjan Das Munshi and Pranab Mukherjee.

A household name in South Kolkata, she is now the chairperson of Kolkata Municipal Corporation. It was Roy who had started the fair of foreign birds in the city to create awareness among people, particularly the children and youth. The fair has become very popular in Kolkata and is now being held in most of the wards.

"South Kolkata is an important seat and is the focus of news throughout the country. The development projects taken up by Mamata Banerjee have benefitted all sections of people. During our campaign, we will highlight the development work carried out in the city," Roy said.

Roy was watching television at KMC headquarters, when Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee announced her name for the South Kolkata seat. "I am grateful to Mamata di for selecting me for the seat. I will work for the people." It may be recalled that Roy was a Member, Mayor-in-Council, during the tenure of Subrata Mukherjee as Mayor from 2000 to 2005.

The seven segments under the Kolkata South Lok Sabha seat are Kasba, Behala East and West, Kolkata Port, Bhowanipore, Rashbehari and Ballygunge. South Kolkata is the only constituency where six of the seven segments have a minister each.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is an MLA from Bhowanipore. The other ministers are Javed Khan from Kasba, Partha Chatterjee from Behala West, Firhad Hakim from Kolkata Port, Subrata Mukherjee from Ballygunge and Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay from Rashbehari. Sovan Chatterjee, who was a minister until recently, is an MLA from Behala East.

Senior party leader Subrata Bakshi, who had been elected from the Kolkata South seat, had won by 1.36 lakh votes in 2014.