TMC and BJP repose faith in celebrities

Reposing faith in celebrities over seasoned politicians, the Trinamool Congress and the BJP fielded seven actors, a playback singer and two footballers in West Bengal for the Lok Sabha polls.

Celebrities in the TMC brigade made a better showing in the hustings than the saffron party, with five of them winning a ticket to the Lok Sabha, while two of the BJP's star candidates emerging victorious.

The Asansol seat was witness to one of the most eyecatching battles between actor Moon Moon Sen and Bollywood playback singer Babul Supriyo.

TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had shifted Sen to Asansol from Bankura, from where she had won in 2014, to take on Babul Supriyo.

The temperamental Sen was possibly at her best in displaying her star status on the day of election in Asansol, saying that she was not aware of clashes there since she woke up late because she was not served bed tea in time at the four-star hotel where she stayed for over a month during campaign.

"They gave me my bed tea very late so I woke up very late," she said.

Babul Supriyo, the singer-turned politician who was made a minister of state by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, also had his fair share of controversies during the campaign.

He had a run-in with the Election Commission over a controversial song for the campaign that he had composed and sung and was involved in a number of stand-offs with the TMC workers and police.

The singer got the better of the 65-year old actor, who is known for her sensuous acting in both Bollywood and Bengali films, trouncing her by nearly two lakh votes.

A disappointed Sen left Asansol in a huff midway through the counting process on May 23, saying "you will not get me anymore."