Vikram Sao, the Jhalmuri celebrity of Bengal's Jhargram

Jhargram: For Vikram Sao, the owner of the jhalmuri shop in Jhargram where Prime Minister Narendra Modi stopped on Sunday to buy jhalmuri, the sudden celebrityhood thrust on him is not surprising.

"My shop is famous here and people used to come even before PM Modi came," says the migrant from Gaya, Bihar, who came here 12 years ago. "But after the PM's visit, the sales have definitely gone up," Sao told ET, adding that he was informed by some leaders that the PM might come to his shop.

Sao is not a voter here and still has his vote in Bihar. With the rush of people, he hardly gets time to talk or take rest. Some people are coming and clicking pictures with him. Some are making reels on Instagram. But Sao is sharp when it comes to political or election-related discussions. He is trying to keep a low profile and not talk much about it. "No politics please. People from all parties come to my shop and I serve them all," he said.



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He has switched off his phone as he claims he is receiving non-stop calls from different parts of the country. "No one can say who will win here in Jhargram. Both parties are contesting strongly," said Nilanjan Das, a local who came to buy jhalmuri.


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After PM Modi visited his shop on Sunday, Trinamool organised a rally on the same road on Monday, with women lining up on both sides of the roads with posters of tribal heroes in their hands, shouting "BJP ke debo na (no vote to BJP)". It was a show of strength for Trinamool a day before campaigning was going to end for Phase-I.