Dev to contest again for Lok Sabha on a TMC ticket?
Sidelining rumours of the party possibly denying an election ticket to Bengali superstar Dev, Trinamool Congress chief and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has made it apparently clear that her party will be fielding the actor in the upcoming general elections.
In a meeting of the party’s core committee hosted at her residence, Mamata referred to Dev as an “asset for the party”. Other senior party leaders and public representatives were also present at the meeting.
The supremo warned leaders from West Midnapore (Dev is the MP of Ghatal parliamentary constituency), who have previously engaged in a strife with Dev, to not do so and let him work.
Speculations were rife before the meeting whether Trinamool would let its star candidate fight the electoral battle again. Several comments from Dev himself had put the party in an uncomfortable position.
In an interview, Dev said that Ghatal (his constituency) needs a “full-time MP”, and he is not being able to devote adequate time because of professional reasons.
Comments made publicly by the actor on allegations of corruption against party leaders also put the Trinamool in a tough spot. His latest film Pradhan addresses the issue of panchayat-level corruption in the state.
Mamata Banerjee’s comments have made it clear that Dev will contest for a third time on a Trinamool Congress ticket, party insiders say.
