Bengal Election: Tollywood Actors Payal Dey, Priya Paul Join TMC

Tollywood actors in TMC: As the high-stakes Bengal assembly election nears poll showdown, another host of actors have joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Tollywood actors Priya Paul, Payel Dey and Rezwan Rabbani Sheikh were inducted into the party Tuesday in Kolkata, in the presence of Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee.

Inductees also included Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) turncoat Swaraj Ghosh, who was previously the Kisan Morcha Secretary (Hooghly) for the saffron party.

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Kolkata: Swaraj Ghosh, BJP State Kisan Morcha Secretary Hooghly, Tollywood actors Payel Dey, Rezwan Rabbani Sheikh and Priya Paul join Trinamool Congress (TMC) in presence of state Minster Partha Chatterjee.#WestBengal pic.twitter.com/5EzFdbuMmI

Kolkata: Swaraj Ghosh, BJP State Kisan Morcha Secretary Hooghly, Tollywood actors Payel Dey, Rezwan Rabbani Sheikh and Priya Paul join Trinamool Congress (TMC) in presence of state Minster Partha Chatterjee.#WestBengal pic.twitter.com/5EzFdbuMmI

— ANI (@ANI) March 23, 2021

Tollywood Actors In TMC And BJP: What Will They Bring To Polls?

Ahead of the Bengal political battle, which will see the TMC and BJP as primary oppositions, several names from the Bengali film industry have thrown their names in with many contesting from prominent constituencies.

In the TMC, actor Sayantika Banerjee is contesting from Bankura, Lovely Moitra from Sonarpur Dakshin, Sayoni Ghosh from Asansol Dakshin and June Malia from Medinipur. See the list of 50 women candidates for TMC. Meanwhile the BJP has fielded actor Anjana Basu from Sonarpur South, Tanusree Chakraborty from Shyampur, and Locket Chatterjee from Chinsurah, among others. See a list here. 

The 'star wars' have brought experts to question how much of these actors' fanfare will yield votes in elections. There is also speculation around whether these party allegiances will give rise to divisive groupism in Tollywood. Polling in Bengal will be held between March 27 and April 29.