Sourav opts out of controversial election video

KOLKATA: The Election Commission on Tuesday formally announced that the video planned by the state election office with former India captain Sourav Ganguly will not be aired. The cricket icon had shot the video, with the Eden Gardens in the background, to urge people to vote without fear.
The reason, cited by the EC's director general of information, education and communication Akshay Raut, was that Sourav himself wanted to pull out from the campaign due to the controversy over his involvement with the poll video. The Trinamool Congress had filed a complaint with the EC not to use the Sourav video because he was allegedly close to some CPM ministers.







The state election office had sent the Trinamool's complaint and a CD sent by the party to the EC, which kept the decision pending. Some officials said on Tuesday that Sourav's voluntarily opting out of the video was the best possible way to avoid embarrassment for both sides Sourav's and the EC's.

The announcement came a day after the election office said that a voter awareness video shot by former President APJ Abdul Kalam and World Cup winner Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the Bihar and Jharkhand elections last year would be aired in Bengal.

Sourav's video, shot on March 27 at the Eden Gardens, would have been aired around April 7 or 8. The CD sent by the Trinamool along with its complaint shows CPM minister Asok Bhattacharya reportedly saying that Sourav had wished him for the elections and wanted to stand by him.

While the state election office did not find any evidence of Sourav's direct involvement with the ruling party in the CD, the EC had, on Sunday, asked the state election office to hold it for a while till they came to a decision.

However, upset with the way things were positioned, Sourav is learnt to have first called the state election office on Monday. He then spoke to Raut and sent a formal letter saying he did not wish to be associated with the campaign any more. Raut, during Tuesday's press conference in the city, emphasized that it was due to Sourav's sentiments that the video was not going to be aired.

As of now, the campaign shot with percussionist Bickram Ghosh will be telecast.