Voters turn up in droves to greet 'Mr Clean' Bratya Basu

Kolkata: Bratya Basu is known for being an actor, a theatre personality, a politician and a key minister. But on the campaign trail, his supporters tried to portray a completely different identity of him in the consciousness of the voters in Dum Dum, that of a teacher.
 

As his campaign rally crawled through the winding lanes of Dum Dum, a lieutenant stressed on the word, "adhyapak (teacher)", every time he urged residents to vote for Basu, who used to teach Bengali at City College. Sporting a printed blue shirt and a pair of black trousers, Basu stood in an open-hood jeep as he reached out to his electorate. "He is a gentleman. Unlike the trend in the party, he has kept himself away from any major controversy," said a party worker.
 

It was, however, difficult to say if the huge turnout for the 3-km road show between St Mary's School on Dum Dum Road and Dum Dum Cantonment was owing to the minister's "unblemished record" or a massive mobilisation drive by the local party unit. But the spontaneity among his supporters was palpable. As the jeep, with Trinamool flags fluttering on the bonnet, crawled through the narrow R N Guha Road, women stood on either side, blowing conch shells and showering flower petals on Basu. "He is a regular in the area. He visits here on Tuesdays when he meets people and tries to redress their grievances," said Subhra Naskar, whose husband sells phuchka in Baguiati.
 

The hundreds of youths who accompanied Basu on the road show belonged to a local club that had received largesse from the government apparently for development. "He made sure that every club in Dum Dum received grants from the government," said Bablu Sau, an unemployed youth who lives at Kalindi off Jessore Road.

But not all are happy with Basu's work in the past few years. "Only houses have come up in the name of development. The drains are clogged, the roads are cratered," said a resident, pointing to the potholed streets. His discontent could have some truth in the rows of new buildings and construction material dumped by the roads.

Poll veterans in Dum Dum felt that Basu's path to his second term in politics might be undulated but he would successfully manoeuvre the blocks this time.