Asok to campaign in south

Asok Bhattacharya in his chamber at the Siliguri
Municipal Corporation on Monday. (Kundan Yolmo)

TT, Siliguri, April 18: Asok Bhattacharya, the CPM candidate of Siliguri Assembly seat, will head to Calcutta tomorrow to campaign for the Left Front and Congress alliance nominees in south Bengal and the city itself.

"I will start for Calcutta tomorrow. I have been asked by our state leaders to campaign in North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and in places like Salt Lake, New Town, Gaighata and Kharda," Asok told reporters at the Siliguri Municipal Corporation office here today.

"I will return from Calcutta by the end of this week and go to Cooch Behar for campaigning. Again in the middle of next week, I will go back to Calcutta," he added.

Bhattacharya will campaign in constituencies that will vote on April 21, 25 and 30, and May 5.

A senior CPM leader said: "He (Bhattacharya) has emerged as one of the most popular faces of our party and the Left Front as a whole. Even in the national political arena, his name is being discussed these days. Our workers and supporters, and even the Congress supporters want to hear from him. That is why he will campaign in south Bengal and Cooch Behar."

Bhattacharya had been campaigning for his seat and in areas close to Siliguri. He had also visited Malda and had campaigned along with PCC president Adhir Chowdhury and other Congress leaders there.

This morning, Bhattacharya reached the Siliguri Municipal Corporation and spoke to the members mayor-in-council and officials.

"We have to place the annual budget of the SMC in May or June and discussions were held on it," he said.

The mayor added that he would write to the Election Commission seeking permission to carry out some works in town. "As the elections are over in Siliguri, I will write to the Election Commission to permit us to carry out some of the work, including disbursement of monthly allowances to poor people, widows and senior residents. The payment is due for some time," he said.