BJP complains to EC as Bangladeshi actor Ferdous Ahmed campaigns for TMC in Raiganj

There are 14 candidates including five Independents in the fray in the constituency, which will go to vote on April 18 in the second phase.

Ferodus Ahmed.

Kolkata (West Bengal Lok Sabha Elections): The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday complained to the Election Commission about Trinamool Congress roping in Bangladeshi actor Ferdous Ahmed for its poll campaigning. Ferdous Ahmed held a massive roadshow for TMC in Raiganj on Monday. He campaigned in North Dinajpur's Raiganj parliamentary constituency for Kanhaiyalal Agarwal. "Everyone should vote for the Trinamool Congress. All should vote for didi (TMC chief  & West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee)," Ferdous was claimed to have told voters while sharing the dais with Agarwal. BJP's general secretary in-charge of West Bengal, Kailash Vijayvargiya said that Mamata Banerjee’s TMC is losing ground and that’s the reason Bangladeshi artistes are being called to campaign. “I condemn the fact that after bringing Bangladeshi infiltrators, now the TMC is making use of Bangladeshi artistes. It is shameful to see Mamataji roping in Bangladeshi actors as she's not finding anyone in India to do her work. This is a clear sign that her party is losing ground," said Kailash Vijayvardgiya Taking cognizance of the matter, the Ministry of Home Affairs has sought a report from the Siliguri district administration over a foreign national being permitted to campaign for a political party. According to reports, Bangladesh High Commissioner on Tuesday afternoon directed Ferdous Ahmed to return to his country immediately. Raiganj is the former bastion of the Congress and its leader Priya Ranjan Das Munshi. Unlike the other seven north Bengal seats, Raiganj has a four-cornered contest where Trinamul’s Kanaialal Agarwal is pitted against Das Munshi’s wife and Congress candidate Deepa, outgoing CPM MP Mohammad Salim, and Debasree Chaudhuri of the BJP. Raiganj has over 52 per cent minority votes. These have traditionally been split between the CPM and the Congress. There are 14 candidates including five Independents in the fray in the constituency, which will go to vote on April 18 in the second phase. There are a total 15.99 lakh voters in the constituency. BJP president Amit Shah at a rally recently had raked up the issue of Bangladesi immigrants entering India illegally and the TMC government resorting to minority appeasement.