West Bengal: Actor Mithun Chakraborty joins BJP at PM Modi's Brigade rally

Kolkata, Mar 07: Bengali superstar and former TMC MP Mithun Chakraborty joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a rally later in the day.

Chakraborty was welcomed into the party fold by BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and state party chief Dilip Ghosh among others. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had met the actor at his Mumbai residence last month setting off speculation that he might join the BJP.

The participation of film star Mithun Chakraborty in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's brigade parade ground rally in Kolkata on Sunday has generated considerable interest among BJP supporters turning out for the mega event.

Chakraborty, a former Rajya Sabha member of the TMC, had quit the Upper House in 2016 after his name surfaced in Saradha Ponzi scam.

The PM will be addressing a poll rally in Kolkata, giving a major thrust to the saffron party's campaign ahead of Bengal's eight-phase assembly elections, starting March 27. Ghosh has claimed that the PM's election rally will be attended by nearly 10 lakh people.

Earlier, Chakraborty met BJP national general secretary in- charge of West Bengal Kailash Vijayvargiya after arriving on Saturday evening.

Many of the BJP supporters headed for the meeting ground from across the state said they were happy to know that the film star will participate in the rally.

Modi will be addressing the mega poll rally as West Bengal heads for an eight-phase assembly election starting March 27.

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh has claimed that the election rally will be attended by nearly 10 lakh people.