Bengal: Lok Sabha candidates celebrate Holi with people on streets

Kolkata: Colours of Holi blended with the hues of different political parties on Monday as candidates tried to make the most of the occasion to connect with the people in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.

Smeared with 'gulaal' of different colours, several leaders of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), CPI(M) and other parties celebrated the festival of colours, known as 'Dol Jatra' in West Bengal, with common people on the streets.

Barrackpore constituency's TMC candidate Partha Bhowmick beat the 'dhol' (drum) at the head of a procession celebrating Holi, while his opponent Arjun Singh of the BJP went to Boro Maa Kali temple at Naihati to offer prayers.

CPI(M)'s young gun Srijan Bhattacharyya was also on the streets in Baghajatin area of Jadavpur constituency, from where he is contesting, greeting and sharing the colours of Holi with others.

Most of the leaders, who were on the streets sans any political flag or slogan, claimed that politics was given a go-by on this day to celebrate the festival of colours and they were connecting with the people as fellow citizens.

"Today is the day of celebration and nothing else," BJP corporator Sajal Ghosh said.

State minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay participated in singing along with locals in his constituency as people smeared him with 'gulaal'.

Tapas Roy, who recently joined the BJP from TMC, and was on Sunday named the saffron party's candidate from Kolkata North constituency, tried to make the most of the day by engaging in people-to-people connect while celebrating the festival of colours.