Bengal Election: Meet Tanusree Chakraborty, Actor Contesting Polls On BJP Ticket

Bengali actor and famous model Tanusree Chakraborty will contest the West Bengal assembly elections this year on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket. She is standing for the Shyampur constituency in Howrah district, facing off most prominently against Kalipada Mandal, a senior candidate from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) who has been on the seat since 2001.

Tanusree Chakraborty joined the BJP only this month on March 9, alongside a host of other new inductees, most prominently Bollywood star Mithun Chakraborty.

She is one of many actors being fielded by political parties for the Bengal legislative assembly. The BJP and TMC, engaged in ferocious battle for the turf, have both named notable film personalities as candidates. Aside from Chakraborty, the BJP is also backing Anjana Basu, Locket Chatterjee and Payel Sarkar. Over at TMC, candidates include the likes of Lovely Moitra and Sayani Ghosh. Full list here.

The Bengal election will be conducted in eight phases beginning March 27. Poll results will be declared on May 2.

Get to know actor-politician Tanusree Chakraborty

Hailing from Hyderabad, Tanusree Chakraborty established herself as a model. A Bangladeshi advertisement she did for a spice brand thrust her into recognition. She turned to the Bengali film industry in 2010 with Bondhu Eso Tumi but true fame came to her a year later with film Uro Chithi. 

Other works she is known for include films Khaad, Chorabali, and Window Connections. She had back-to-back releases last year with Antardhan and Tonic. 

While joining the BJP in March, Chakraborty was self-admittedly firm about the party ideals. She said she hopes the saffron party will actualise their slogan of Sonar Bangla (golden Bengal). "People of Bengal are always into political debates and can speak their mind. I am joining BJP as I do believe in its ideology."

On whether this high-stakes election season will cause a rift in the entertainment industry, given how many from there are contesting this time, Chakraborty says, "I think that there will not be any groupism with actors joining and work will be work for all."