Lok Sabha elections: Kalyan banks on outreach to register emphatic win

KOLKATA: Two-time Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee is literally walking the extra mile to plug the gap in his vote share from the last Lok Sabha election.
The vote share had registered a 13.6% dip in 2014 when, in stark contrast, he had won with a sweeping majority of 53.48% votes in 2009.
“I have already identified the problem areas,” said the 62-year-old Trinamool veteran.“I had lost the Serampore assembly segment (within his Serampore Lok Sabha constituency) in 2014 with over 2,500 votes and barely won Champdani (another segment) with 2,000 votes.”
“This area,” Banerjee explained, “has a majority of non-Bengalis who voted for BJP last time. This time, I have increased my interactions with them, regularly attended their festivals and gatherings, helped build a number of Ram and Hanuman temples across the constituency, and I’m regularly walking for several kilometres in the sweltering heat to mark my presence.” As if to make the point, Banerjee, clad in a soaking white kurta, wipes the sweat off his face during an 11km rally from Dankuni Housing more to Chanditala on Thursday.
Has the outreach worked? The Trinamool MP says he is confident of a huge victory due to his “developmental activities” in the constituency and the extra effort he has expended during the election campaign.
“No one can complain about the quality of roads. There are streetlights everywhere, including high-mast lights in a number of places. Roads in Uttarpara, Serampore, Rishra, Champdani shine like those in Kolkata proper, and the neighbourhood can be compared with New Alipore,” Banerjee said.
His opponents this time are CPM’s Tirthankar Roy (whom Banerjee had defeated last time), BJP’s Debajit Sarkar and Congress’ Debabrata Biswas.