Assamese 'melody queen' Kalpana Patowary joins Asom Gana Parishad ahead of polls

Guwahati: With the 2021 polls in Assam inching closer by the day, popular Bhojpuri singer from Assam Kalpana Patowary joined the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) party on October 9 (Friday). During the joining ceremony at the regional party's headquarter in Guwahati, the 'melody queen' hinted that she could likely be one of the AGP candidates in the polls.

Speaking on the occasion, Kalpana Patowary said that she would play an active role in the upcoming Assam Assembly elections next year, but refrained from directly commenting on whether she would vie for a ticket to contest the polls. 

"We do not know what is going to happen in the next five minutes. So I would not like to talk much about the future. But I would want to contest the polls," Kalpana Patowary said." The party has many senior leaders, they are experienced than I am in the field of politics, will do as asked by them."

Upon being asked if she will contest from the Sorbhog Constituency, the singer said, "I would want to contest Sorbhog since it is my home constituency. But Ranjeet Dass of the BJP is there, and they are our allies. Time will tell what will happen but win or lose, I will work for the upliftment of the masses."

Patowary also said that the people of Assam should push for the implementation of the Clause 6 of the Assam Accord which seeks to safeguard the culture and identity of the state. "The people of Assam should push for the implementation of the Clause 6, albeit peacefully," she said.

Speaking on the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Kalpana Potowari said, "Once the Clause 6 of the Assam Accord is implemented, Assam will be safeguarded against the CAA, CAB, rain, or storm, whatever it is."

AGP President and Assam Agriculture Minister Arul Bora, Vice President of the party and Assam Minister for Water Resources Keshab Chandra Mahanta and party's senior leader and Assam Food and Civil Supplies Minister Phani Bhushan Choudhury, and other senior party leaders were present at the ceremony and welcomed the known singer into the party.

Potowary is a folk singer who has sung songs in different languages. She is a known name in the Bhojpuri music industry and has a number of chartbusters to her name. Back in June of 2018, Patowary had joined the cultural wing of the BJP party in Bihar.

The trend of noted entertainers joining political parties ahead of elections in Assam is not a new phenomenon. This year alone, the parties -- be it the ruling BJP or the opposition Congress -- have been bolstered by the joining of known figures.

In August last, as many as 40 artistes, including popular singers, musicians, and film personalities, joined the Congress in Guwahati, while 28 went with the ruling BJP. These joinings took place is widely-publicized events, with songs and dances and rituals, paparazzi clicking away with glee, with perfect fodder for gossip. "Who joined which party?" would be a question often asked during these gala occasions amid glitz, glamour, and everything else.

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