Amid bitter Bengal poll battle, gesture of political warmth stands out in Nadia, Kolkata

Amid fierce contests and bitter exchanges of words during West Bengal's second and final phase of polling on Wednesday, a rare scene of political warmth stood out in Nadia district. A BJP candidate's gesture of goodwill towards rival Trinamool Congress workers at their camp emerged as an unlikely moment of civility. The BJP's Nawadip candidate and Hindu preacher Shruti Shekhar Goswami was seen interacting cordially with local TMC activists at their polling camp. ''Everyone is free to do politics of their choice throughout the day, but in the evening, people (of different political beliefs) should be able to sit together and have tea. Why should personal relationships be destroyed?'' Goswami told PTI. People may support different political parties, but human ties should not break, he said. The gesture drew appreciation from his rival camp as well. ''He (Goswami) is a respected religious figure and also a candidate of another party. We felt very good that he came and sat with us and spoke warmly. Political differences will remain, but this healthy conversation felt good,'' a local leader of the TMC said, sitting in the camp. The TMC's Pundarikakshya Saha is contesting from Nawadwip, an old town which is associated with the birth of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the advent of the Vaishnav religion in Bengal. Over a hundred kilometres away in Kolkata, saffron-clad monks of ISKCON walked towards their polling stations singing ''Hare Krishna'' and devotional songs to cast their votes. ''We remember God before doing anything,'' ISKCON Kolkata vice president and spokesperson Radha Raman Das said. The monks cast their votes at La Martiniere School for Boys in the Chowringhee constituency and later displayed their inked fingers after participating in the democratic exercise. Another striking visual came from St Mary's School on Ripon Street in the same constituency, where Catholic nuns from the Missionaries of Charity arrived in the morning to vote. Clad in their distinctive white saris with blue borders, the sisters quietly joined the queue along with other voters. In another rare moment of warmth with rival party workers, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was seen taking a sip of water at a TMC camp. A video circulating on social media showed Adhikari stopping near a polling booth decorated with TMC flags during his visit to Bhabanipur constituency and taking a sip of water from a two-litre bottle of a soft drink. PTI, however, could not independently verify the clip. The BJP leader was heard saying, ''They called and offered water. I took a sip as I was thirsty.'' The video drew attention online because it surfaced on a day marked by sharp political exchanges and heavy mobilisation by both the BJP and the TMC in Bhabanipur, one of the most high-profile constituencies in the ongoing elections. The constituency witnessed parallel visits by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Adhikari, with both camps accusing each other of intimidation and electoral misconduct during polling.

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