Lok Sabha polls: Candidates launch campaign in West Bengal

Kolkata, March 10: Lok Sabha candidates of various parties launched

in

on Sunday, the first after the Election Commission announced the dates for the national polls. In Howrah,

(TMC) candidate Prasun Bandyopadhyay, a former footballer, launched his campaign. He said the ruling party has an edge over opponents like the Left Front, Congress and BJP. Veteran actor George Baker is also contesting from this seat.

In Kolkata North, heavyweight Congress leader Somen Mitra launched his campaign. Mitra, a former Congressman, had contested the 2009 polls on the TMC's ticket but returned to the Congress recently. He said he would fight against the ruling party's corruption.

In Asansol, TMC candidate Dola Sen also launched her campaign.

CPI(M)'s Sujan Chakrabarti, the former MP from Jadavpur seat in Kolkata, also began his campaign. Chakrabarti had lost the 2009 polls to TMC's singer-turned-politician Kabir Suman. This time, however, Suman has been replaced by Sugata Bose, the grand-nephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

The TMC has fielded a number of celebrities this time, besides the two actor-turned-politicians who had won in 2009, namely, Tapas Pal and Satabdi Roy.

OneIndia News