Meet The 36-Year-Old Up Against Mamata Banerjee, Ex-Aide Suvendu Adhikari

The eight-phased voting for the 294-member Bengal Assembly is currently underway in the state with the first phase registering an over 80% voter turnout on March 27.

Amid an intense Trinamool Congress vs BJP battle in Bengal's Nandigram, the war cries of the two parties, "Khela Hobe (game is on)" and "Jai Shri Ram", have caught on with the voters. But the Left's candidate from the constituency, Minakshi Mukherjee, has only one pitch - employment - and is confident that she will emerge as a tough competitor for her two heavyweight adversaries - Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari. Minakshi Mukherjee, 36, does not have the kind of resources that are at the disposal of Suvendu Adhikari or Mamata Banerjee. But she is resilient as she covers her constituency barefoot and sometimes in an open auto. "We don't have dhan bal (money power) but we have jan bal (the backing of the people). This fight is between the common people and those who have only looted the state. If you want the people to win, you will have to give employment, respect women, and farmers should get the price they command for their produce," she said while speaking to NDTV. When asked if she stands a chance this election, Ms Mukherjee said, "Those who did nothing for the state in the last few years are contesting from Nandigram. The youth needs jobs, better opportunities. But the leaders did nothing. We are fighting this election on real issues and not on religious polarisation."