Top contests of 2014: Basudeb Acharia vs Moon Moon Sen

Bankura (

), May 2: CPI(M)'s Basudeb Acharia is set to take on

's (TMC) actor-politician candidate Moon Moon Sen from Bankura. The Congress has fielded Nil Madhav Gupta while Dr Subhash Sarkar is contesting on the BJP's ticket from this seat.

2009 result: Badudeb Acharia had defeated Trinamool Congress's Subrata Mukherjee by 107,802 votes.

[Top contests 0of 2014]

About Basudeb Acharia (CPI-M)

Acharia is one of those few Left leaders who have held their bastion strong despite the Mamata Banerjee wave in West Bengal. A seasoned politician, Acharia, 72, was first elected from Bankura constituency in 1980 and he has won each general election since. Father of three children, Acharia was the leader of the CPI(M)'s Parliamentary Party in the 14th and 15th Lok Sabha.

Moon Moon Sen is a gamble by TMC to create an upset but will it pay off?

Hailing from a family which originally belongs to Tamil Nadu, Acharia has served in various parliamentary committees. Acharia, who defeated a heavyweight politician like Subrata Mukherjee by over a lakh votes last time, feels the margin of victory will be even bigger this time.

About Moon Moon Sen (Trinamool Congress)

Daughter of Bengali film icon, the late Suchitra Sen, Moon Moon Sen is a fresher in politics and her nomination from Bankura, known for its soaring temperature during the summer, made people more enthusiastic about whether she could cope with the heat if not her string opponent. Observers feel Sen's nomination was a gamble by TMC to defeat Acharia through a mix of Sen's charisma and Banerjee's popularity.

The two actor daughters of Sen, Raima and Riya, have also been campaigning for her mother, adding the glamour factor more. Sen chose to speak in a lighter vein while addressing rallies (she even asked the audience whether they wanted to act a bit naughty with her) and also reminded the people that her husband was a Sceduled Tribe member to convince them about her sensitivity towards the plight of the local people of Bankura. The appeal of Suchitra Sen was an added factor.

Analysis

Moon Moon Sen is a gamble by the TMC to cause an upset. But defeating Acharia in the hard world of politics is perhaps too much of an ask for Bengal's glamour candidate.

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