Candidates getting help from wards in managing campaigns

Kolkata, April 5: When it comes to managing their election campaigns, candidates for the Assembly election in West Bengal are turning to their sons and daughters for help.

Working like backroom boys, Sohini Chatterjee, daughter of state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee and Puja Panja, daughter of state Women and Child Development Minister Shashi Panja help their parents in managing the election campaigns.

Shreya Pande, an actress and daughter of state Consumer Affairs Minister Sadhan Pande, Rohan Mitra, son of state Congress leader and candidate from Chowringhee constituency Somen Mitra, and Russel, son of senior CPI(M) leader and MP Mohammed Salim, also lending a hand. Some of them are IT professionals, some are bankers, some actors and some still in colleges.

"I am helping my father manage his digital profile for the last one year. Whether it is posting an upadate or uploading a video of developmental work in the social media, I am doing it meticulously. I take care of my father's social media campaigning," Sohini Chatterjee, an IT professional, said.

Sohini, however, nurses no ambition of joining active politics, at least for the time being. Sohini and Puja had cut their teeth on micro-managing election campaigns in 2011 when the Trimamool Congress stormed to power tearing down the 34-year-old Left citadel in West Bengal.

Sohini said it was she who had first suggested opening a Facebook account for her father, Partha Chatterjee, who is contesting from Behala Paschim Assembly constituency and is a three-time MLA from there.

Partha Chatterjee said, "My daughter helps me in a lot of ways like taking care of social media campaigning. Even when there are no elections, she helps with implementation of development work in my constituency." Rohan Mitra, a former executive in a multinational company, is helping his father, Somen Mitra, in his election campaigning since 2014.

Although, Rohan is yet to formally step in active politics, he is quite popular among youth Congress workers. "I am trying to mobilise youth Congress workers and training them on using social media effectively. I am also playing my bit in planning campaigns etc," Rohan said.

PTI