Mamata Banerjee’s link with Tollywood goes long back, as actors like Tapas Paul, Madhavi Mukherjee and Nayana Das have contested the Assembly elections on Trinamool tickets. It is, however, for the first time in Lok Sabha elections that she has announced her intention of looking for cine stars.

Banerjee’s links with cultural celebrities became prominent when many theatre and film personalities, painters, singers joined her in protest after the Nandigram episode when 14 people were killed in police firing and later when CPM cadres recaptured the area.

Partho Chatterjee, leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, said: “Banerjee is very popular in the cultural hub of Bengal. She herself is a painter. After Nandigram, many celebrities joined us in protest. Therefore it is natural that they will side with us and contest elections against the atrocities committed by the CPM government.”

“We are holding talks with others in the field of arts and culture to be our candidates,” added Chatterjee. Roy said: “I know and respect Mamata Banerjee, both as a person and as a political leader. I have been in touch with her for years and follow her ideals. She is trying to bring a change in the lives of the people. When she contacted me and asked me to contest for the Lok Sabha polls, I could not refuse.”

“I will contest from wherever Banerjee asks me to,” she said.

In the evening, Roy and Tapas Paul visited the Trinamool chief’s residence. “I am ready to contest the polls if Banerjee wants me to,” said Paul.

Both Roy and Kabir Sumon were among the celebrities, who participated in the agitation in Nandigram and Singur. Roy took the stage when Banerjee was staging an indefinite dharna near the Tata Motors small car factory site in Singur.

Paul was elected as a member of the Assembly in 2001and 2006 from Alipore. Madhavi Mukherjee, another renowned Bengali film actress of yesteryears, contested on a Trinamool ticket against Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee from Jadavpur in 2001. She, however, lost. Nayana Das, another Bengali actress contested Assembly elections from Taltolla under the Trinamool banner in 2001 and won.