Kolkata: WWE superstar wrestler The Great Khali will fly to Kolkata on Friday and stand by his friend Anupam Hazra when he files his nomination as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Jadavpur candidate for the Lok Sabha election.
The world champion wrestler and actor, who has decided to be with his friend on the very important day, might even campaign for Hazra if his schedule permits.
“Khali is a good friend and is coming to Kolkata to stand by me just for the sake of friendship when I file my nomination on Friday. I don’t believe in stereotype politics where only political figures come to stand by candidates,” says the incumbent Bolpur MP, who recently switched camp from the ruling Trinamool Congress and is now a saffron contender from Jadavpur.
Hazra was expelled from the Mamata Banerjee-led party in January this year for alleged anti-party activities and joined the BJP in March.
Hazra is pitted against Trinamool’s Mimi Chakraborty, a popular Bengali actor, in Jadavpur. Though a political greenhorn, Chakraborty seemed to have charmed her audiences during campaigns. Hazra, however, is confident of victory by riding on the Narendra Modi factor.
Bringing in the popular wrestler may also help him connect with voters of the constituency.
“Khali is popular globally and is a youth icon and many of my supporters requested me to do something exceptional. I thought this was a unique platform to bring in Khali,” says Hazra, who considers Jadavpur to be a politically sensitive constituency and one full of intellectual voters.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had first defeated late former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee from the seat in 1984 on a Congress ticket.
The seat has been with the Trinamool Congress since the last few elections, except during 2004-09 when the CPI(M)’s Sujan Chakraborty became the MP.
While Sugato Bose is the incumbent MP, Banerjee has reposed faith in Chakraborty to help retain the seat.
Hazra, too, is confident of coming out with flying colours while challenging the mettle of his former party in the constituency considered to be one of the prestige seats in Bengal.
‘The Khali’ factor might just give Hazra an edge over his counterpart at least for the time being.
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