Hurdles in Roopa Ganguly contesting Kolkata civic polls

Kolkata, March 21 (IANS) Projected as the BJP's face in the upcoming Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) election, actor-turned-politician Roopa Ganguly may not be able to contest the polls owing to a technical glitch clouding her nomination.

Not being a voter from any municipal ward in the city, Ganguly cannot contest the polls, as the West Bengal Municipal Elections Act, 1994 debars any candidate who is not a voter of the municipality from contesting.

Section 29A(c) of the Act states: "A person shall not be qualified for being chosen to fill a seat in a municipality unless such person is an elector in relation to that municipality."

The development comes as an embarrassment for the BJP with the party sending a delegation to the office of the State Election Commission to argue for Ganguly who has been declared a candidate from ward No.96.

The last date for filing nominations for the April 18 polls is March 23.

While state BJP president Rahul Sinha said the party has not lost hope and was trying to sort out the legal glitch, Ganguly who gained cult popularity for playing Draupadi in the television series "Mahabharat", blamed the state's ruling Trinamool Congress.

"After the Trinamool gained ground in the state in 2009, my name from the voters list was deleted. Since I am not known as a Trinamool sympathiser, my name has been deleted," said Ganguly, known for her roles in films like "Padma Nadir Majhi" by Gautam Ghose, "Yugant" by Aparna Sen and "Antarmahal" by Rituparno Ghosh.