Ex-TMC MP Mithun Chakraborty to join PM Modi in BJP's Kolkata rally: Sources

Update at 4:15 PM:

Actor Mithun Chakraborty to depart for Kolkata from Mumbai at 11 PM, set to join PM Modi on stage at Brigade rally. 

In the latest development, sources have informed that former TMC MP Mithun Chakraborty will share the stage with PM Modi at the rally in Kolkata on Sunday. Earlier, reports suggested that BJP had invited the former TMC MP to join the stage during PM Modi's rally at Brigade Parade Ground - touted by BJP's Kailash Vijayavargiya to be one of the biggest rallies in poll-bound West Bengal. Elections are scheduled to be held in 8 phases in West Bengal starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes in the state will take place on May 2.

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Mithun meets RSS chief

On February 16, Mohan Bhagwat held a 1-hour meeting at Mithun Chakraborty’s residence in Madh Island, rising speculations of the actor's saffron plunge. Chakraborty denied saying, "I have a spiritual relationship with him (Bhagwat) and it is very deep. It had been decided before, that whenever he comes to Mumbai, he will come home. He asked me to bring my family along to Nagpur. That is all. We had breakfast together. No politics. Please don’t link it and blow it out of proportion.”

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Chakraborty - a Trinamool MP - had resigned from Rajya Sabha in 2013 amid the Saradha Chit Fund scam, as per reports. The actor who was Saradha's brand ambassador was questioned by the CBI for allegedly receiving payment of Rs 2 crores - which was returned by the actor to ED in 2015. He had reportedly denied involvement in the scam and has stated that any transactions between him and the group were professional fees as the brand ambassador of the company. 

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BJP's Bengal push

The saffron party is gearing for a tough battle in Bengal - aiming to attain more than 200 seats, while not fielding a CM face yet. The BJP had already politically divided Bengal into five parts - North Bengal, Rath Bang (South Western District), Nabadwip, Medinipur and Kolkata, handpicking Shivprakash, Sunil Deodhar, Dushyant Gautam, Bhikubhai Dalsania, Ravindra Raju,  Vinod Sonkar, Harish Dwivedi to ta work on booth levels in these regions. With over 65,000 booth committees and 14,000 Shakti Kendra constituted, the BJP has appointed five veterans as central observers - with the final call to be taken by Amit Shah. With BJP chief JP Nadda, Amit Shah, PM Modi holding regular public meetings, roadshows in Bengal, the saffron party has also seen an inrush of disgruntled TMC leaders like - Suvendu Adhikari and his two brothers, Rajib Banerjee, Jitendra Tiwari, Vaishali Dalmiya and many others.

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