(Left) Madan Mitra speaks with CAPF personnel at a booth; (right) BJP candidate Raju Banerjee claimed he was injured as bricks were hurled at his vehicle.
KAMARHATI/DAKSHINESWAR: I am Madan Mitra, thundered the Trinamool’s maverick politician at a booth in Ariadaha Ramanand Charity Vidyalaya. Seconds earlier, the CAPF personnel had stopped the Kamarhati Trinamool candidate, asking for his identity. The “captain, who was missing in action in 2016” and lost the seat in the last assembly election, set out early on Saturday to “recapture” Kamarhati again.
Mitra’s portrayal of being a “devout Hindu”—he visited as many temples as polling booths—might have raised eyebrows but the seasoned politician earned brownie points as he drove around the constituency in his red SUV convertible in the scorching heat. As he drove into Saraswati Press government quarters, trailed by security vehicles and media cars, people could be heard discussing: “A leader should be like him.” But driving around in the sun for almost six hours took its toll: once he returned to his office at Rathtala, he fell ill. He was administered oxygen and advised rest. Family said he might be hospitalized if need be.