Selfie sessions raking up Baichung’s popularity?

PRASHANT ACHARYA, EOI, Siliguri 19 Mar 2016: The selfie ‘fever’ seems to have caught Baichung Bhutia in its grips as the footballer-turned politician goes around his constituency of Siliguri meeting voters to seek their support. 

His campaign managers say it has now become almost mandatory for Baichung to pose for selfies with fans who wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to be photographed with their icon. They add that this selfie business has gone to such an extent that the Trinamool Congress candidate is being robbed of time to interact with voters and woo them.

Whenever Baichung walks into any ward area in Siliguri, he gets mobbed by residents asking for selfies, and he can do nothing but break into a big smile and oblige them. The photograph sessions must be making his campaign schedule go awry, but no one seems to care, not the least Baichung himself.

"This might be the only chance for us to take selfies with our favourite footballer and we don’t want to miss it,” says Priyanka Saha of Siliguri College. My dream of taking a selfie with Baichung came true today."

"We love Baichung and are excited to be able to take selfies with him. We hope he wins with a large margin and make sports lovers of Siliguri happy. Baichung is well-qualified and intelligent, and were he to win, he will surely change Siliguri," said Ravi Kumar, another college-going student.

And as for the TMC candidate himself, he smiles broadly and says, "The selfie sessions sure are taking time, but I cannot turn down my fans’ requests. All I can say is I’m overwhelmed by the warmth and affection I am receiving from the residents of Siliguri. Appreciate it very much!”