Bengal election: Mithun Chakraborty joins BJP at Modi's Kolkata rally
Ahead of the Assembly elections in West Bengal, actor and former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mithun Chakraborty joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday. Chakraborty joined the party at a rally in state capital Kolkata which will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The PM will set the tone for the BJP's West Bengal poll campaign. Here are more details.
Formerly a TMC MP, Chakraborty joins BJP
Chakraborty joined the BJP in the presence of West Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh and party state in-charge Kailash Vijayavargiya. Earlier, Vijayvargiya had told India Today, "(Chakraborty) will be present here at the rally. We'll see if he wishes to join us, we will hand him the BJP flag then and there." Chakraborty has served as a Rajya Sabha MP for the TMC.
WATCH: Chakraborty welcomed into the BJP
Rally held at Brigade Parade Ground
The rally started at 1 pm at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata. PM Modi is set to address the event. Reportedly, the rally is expected to be attended by at least seven lakh people. The rally will be supervised by BJP state in-charge Kailash Vijayavargiya, National Vice-President Mukul Roy, General Secretary Sanjay Singh, and Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta.
Security heightened ahead of rally
Over 1,500 CCTV cameras have been installed across Kolkata for security purposes. Drone cameras will be used to monitor the venue. Three main barricades have reportedly been placed toward the main stage. A helipad has also been created at the Race Course near the Brigade Ground. Separately, a 72-feet long main stage and two other stages have been set up for the rally.
When will elections be held in West Bengal?
The West Bengal elections will be held in eight phases: March 27 (to be held in 30 constituencies), April 1 (30), April 6 (31), April 10 (44), April 17 (45), April 22 (43), April 26 (36), and April 29 (35). Elections will be held across 1,01,916 polling stations. The term of the Assembly ends May 30, 2021. Votes will be counted on May 2.
