Finally, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is ready to campaign for CPIM in Kolkata

KOLKATA: Breaking his silence, former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has decided to hold a roadshow on April 19 in Kolkata to campaign for three party candidates contesting the assembly polls. He may hold some more campaigns for Left and Congress candidates, hinted party insiders.

CPIM state secretariat member Rabin Deb told ET on Wednesday that Bhattacharjee will campaign for CPIM candidates Satarup Ghosh, Madhuja Sen Roy and Sujan Chakraborty from Kasba, Tollygunge and Jadavpur, respectively. Elections to these three constituencies in Kolkata will take place on April 30.

Party insiders said that Bhattacharjee couldn’t campaign for the party because of his illness. Another CPIM leader and former industry minister Nirupam Sen is also critical, and has been undergoing treatment at a private hospital.

Almost all the party district units of the CPIM had urged the state headquarters to send Bhattacharjee at their respective districts to campaign for party candidates, but he declined due to poor health.

The first and second phases of polling in Bengal was over on April 4 and 11, respectively. Bhattacharjee could not campaign during these two phases because elections in these phases were held in Jangalmahal and some pockets of Burdwan which are far from Kolkata and Bhattacharjee was not in a position to travel to these areas.

Party insiders also said that Bhattacharjee might campaign for some seats in North 24-Parganas and Howrah, which are not too far from Kolkata.