Kolkata, Nov. 1 -- Just like the first day, veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty, also advisor to the West Bengal government with the rank of Cabinet minister for Information and Culture, oversaw the elections to the 23 guilds of the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI) on Sunday. Nearly 333 candidates from 23 guilds contested the elections. Technicians voted under tight security, with police deployment and CCTV surveillance, while the Padma Bhushan awardee remained seated outside the studio gate in Tollygunge. He was accompanied by BJP MLA and actress Roopa Ganguly. "We are not members of any guild, so we are sitting outside. The election is being held without any fear," she said.

While five guilds went to the polls on Saturday, voting for 11 guilds took place on Sunday. Seven guilds elected their leaders unopposed. The election is crucial as it is the first major electoral exercise in Tollywood since the BJP came to power in Bengal. During the TMC regime, several allegations had surfaced against then Federation president Swarup Biswas, brother of former minister Aroop Biswas. "The elections are being held democratically. Tollywood should be kept away from politics as this is a creative space," Chakraborty said. BJP MLA and actor Rudranil Ghosh also stressed the need to keep Tollywood free from politics.

Meanwhile, actress and BJP's Tollygunge MLA Papiya Adhikari alleged that several candidates close to Biswas were also contesting the elections, claiming that the 'Mrigaya' actor had been kept in the dark about this. She also proposed setting up a team in her constituency to monitor the functioning of the newly-elected members.

The elections were also marked by allegations that nearly 4,000 technicians' names had been struck off the voters' list, barring them from participating. Chakraborty, however, said he would look into the cases of those who had been unable to participate in the elections. Tollygunge studios witnessed scenes of euphoria and excitement, with drums being played as the results were announced.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.