Bappi out of contest, Sorcar not in

Musician Lahiri and magician Sorcar had shared the dais with Narendra Modi at his Kolkata rally this month.

Sorcar, Bappi at Modi’s Brigade Rally.

2 min readKolkataFeb 27, 2014 12:59 AM IST First published on: Feb 27, 2014 at 12:59 AM IST

Sorcar, Bappi at Modi’s Brigade Rally.

Bappi Lahiri, one of the star faces being talked about as a potential BJP candidate in Bengal, has opted not to contest. Many other celebrities have either opted out or seem not to have been chosen. P C Sorcar Jr is willing but the BJP hasn’t contacted him, while Sourav Ganguly opted out early.

Musician Lahiri and magician Sorcar had shared the dais with Narendra Modi at his Kolkata rally this month. Their names were among a list of probables that a BJP team from Bengal recently handed over in Delhi, a party source in Kolkata said. So were those of former CBI joint director Sujit Ghosh and bureaucrat-turned-Trinamool MP Bikram Sarkar.

Lahiri told The Indian Express from Mumbai he would rather sing for the BJP than actually seek votes for himself. “I was approached; I could not accept the offer,” he said. “I have a huge commitment to music and entertainment. I could not have done justice to that if I had contested the polls and won. But of course, I will campaign for the BJP any time they want me to. I have great respect for Modiji.”

He is also a Mamata Banerjee fan. “I have great respect for Didi for what she is doing for technicians in the Bengal film industry. It would be a golden combination, Didi in Bengal and Modiji in Delhi.” Sorcar is in Guwahati for a performance. When contacted, he said he has not been contacted by the BJP for a nomination. “I would love to contest if Modiji wants me to,” Sorcar said, adding that “to contest a poll was not the only way that one could help a party”.

Bikram Sarkar could not be reached. Sources said he did not agree to contest. Sujit Ghosh is still in, and is likely to get Murshidabad. R K Mahanti, former Bengal DGP, may get Balurghat. BJP state president Rahul Sinha and Tathagata Roy, a former one, are pitching for Kolkata North and South respectively.