New Delhi: Veteran actor Moushumi Chatterjee, who had contested unsuccessfully from a Congress ticket in Kolkata back in 2004 Lok Sabha polls, has joined BJP.
She was welcomed into the party fold by BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday in the presence of senior party leaders from West Bengal such as Mukul Roy and party’s in-charge in West Bengal Kailash Vijayvargiya.
Speculations are rife that the Chatterjee is likely to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2019 from a constituency in West Bengal. Although the BJP office bearers have not indicated her candidature, party insiders said she may be fielded from an urban constituency in Kolkata or its vicinity.
The prospects of her being elected as the lawmaker has increased in her second attempt — which comes 15 years after the 2004 rout. The BJP, according to pollsters, is likely to emerge as the key challenger to the TMC in the 2019 polls — surging past the Congress and CPI(M).
Chatterjee enjoys immense popularity in Bengal — for her film career which has expanded for nearly four decades. She began acting in Bengali films since 1967, and entered Bollywood in 1972. The most recent movie in which she acted was the critically acclaimed Hindi movie Piku.
