West Bengal Assembly election 2021, Kanchan Mullick profile: TV actor to take on BJP's Prabir Ghoshal

Tollywood actor Kanchan Mullick, who recently joined the Trinamool Congress, will be contesting from the Uttarpara constituency in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly polls. Mullick will compete against two-time MLA from Uttarpara Prabir Ghoshal, who recently joined the BJP, on 10 April in the fourth of the eight-phased Assembly election. Best known for his popular TV show Janata Express, the 50-year-old is a popular comic actor in Bengal who has worked in movies like Mahakaal and Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona. Riding on Mallick’s popularity, the TMC is all set to build pressure on the saffron camp’s candidate. In 2016, former journalist Ghoshal had contested and won the polls on TMC ticket. However, complaining against the internal feuds within the party during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and sensing no renomination in the 2021 Assembly election, he quit the TMC and joined hands with the BJP. There are allegedly three factions among the Hooghly district TMC leaders. Fielding Mullick from Uttarpara is a strategic step by the TMC to handle the factional feud in the district. Mullick is also a Bengali theatre artist. He has worked in the theatre group Swapnasandhani. Uttarpara is an Assembly constituency in the Hooghly district of West Bengal. It falls under the Sreerampur Lok Sabha constituency. The voting will begin on 27 March, with Bengal having the maximum eight phases continuing till 29 April. Including Uttarpara, 43 Assembly seats will go to polls in the fourth phase. The results of the election will be declared on 2 May. The state is held by the AITC with an absolute majority, with Mamata Banerjee on her second consecutive term as chief minister. The ruling party is fighting a pitched battle with archrival BJP, while the Congress-led alliance is also a key player in the fray.