Saayoni Ghosh: A Spirited Political Force

For actor Saayoni Ghosh, her foray into politics was not rough. With a huge number of budding faces in the Bengali film industry gravitating towards the Trinamool Congress (TMC) colours, Ghosh’s entry did not ruffle any feathers. However, with decent success and recognition in the realm of films and television, Ghosh’s decision to walk into politics was spirited. She wanted to upend common notions and depart from the frame of inert celebrity additions to the TMC bandwagon. Contesting from the Asansol South constituency, Ghosh faced defeat at the hands of Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Agnimitra Paul in the 2021 state assembly elections. However, the top brass trusted her with responsibility of greater recognition when she was appointed as the President of the TMC’s youth wing, taking over from Abhishek Banerjee. Ghosh, hardly a reticent politician, chose to voice her opinions loudly, harnessing social media to present her takes on national issues and establishing the party line quite effectively. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Ghosh was fielded from the high-profile Jadavpur constituency of Kolkata, the very seat which had launched TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on to the national stage in 1984. Since Banerjee wrested the seat from veteran Communist Party of India(Marxist) leader Somnath Chatterjee in 1984, the constituency had witnessed a woman representing the seat seven times before 2024. Keeping the rich tradition alive, in a closely-watched contest, Ghosh bested her two male counterparts from the BJP and the CPI(M), securing over seven lakh votes.

Since then, Ghosh’s rise in the party’s ranks has been evident, cementing herself as a prominent front row face among the Opposition in the Parliament. Modelling her persona after her leader, Banerjee, Ghosh’s oratory skills, alongside the likes of Mahua Moitra and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar have been political assets for the TMC on the national forum. Fluent in English, Hindi and Bengali, Ghosh, hailing from the party which boasts of the highest percentage of female MPs, has only strengthened the party’s vocal tradition by taking on numerous issues with aggression, emphasis, and brave irreverence. Recently, participating in a debate seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla, Ghosh let her power of rhetoric shine as she tore into Birla and the Opposition, branding the parliament as an ‘advertisement platform’ under the BJP. Over the course of heated election campaigns across the state, Ghosh grabbed headlines with her stirring speeches on syncretism, pluralism and witty wisecracks aimed at opposition leaders. Unapologetic and spirited, Ghosh, miles away from the usual celebrity-turned politician template, knows how to sting with style and substance, better than most of her male colleagues