"Actually I Am Shandilya..." Mamata Banerjee Signs Off From Nandigram

At a rally in Nandigram - which will see a high-stakes prestige battle between Ms Banerjee and her aide-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari - the Chief Minister led off by reminiscing about visits to temples, where priests asked her for her 'gotra'.

As the curtains came down Tuesday night on campaigning for the second phase of the Bengal election, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee played one final card - telling voters she belonged to the 'Shandilya gotra' - one of the eight highest Brahmin 'gotras'. At a rally in Nandigram - which will see a high-stakes prestige battle between Ms Banerjee and her aide-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari - the Chief Minister led off by reminiscing about visits to temples, where priests asked her for her 'gotra'. "During my second campaign, I visited a temple where the priest enquired about my 'gotra'. I told him 'Maa Maati Manush' (the slogan that powered her to victory in 2011)," Ms Banerjee said. "That reminded me of my visit to Tripura's Tripureshwari temple where too the priest had asked my 'gotra' and I told him 'Maa Mati Manush'," she added, before saying, "Actually I am 'Shandilya'."