Bengal Tourism Minister Shankar Ghosh relishes ‘ghugni-muri’ at roadside stall

Taking a leaf out of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘jhalmuri’ playbook, West Bengal Tourism Minister Shankar Ghosh relished a plate of ‘ghugni-muri’ at a roadside stall in Siliguri on Sunday.

The white pea curry served along with puffed rice is one of the favourite breakfast snacks enjoyed by locals in the area.

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Shankar Ghosh won the Siliguri seat for the second time in a row, this time defeating Siliguri Municipal Corporation Mayor and Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate by a margin of 73,192 votes.

Jhalmuri grabs attention

Earlier, during the poll season, PM Modi made a stop-over at a local jhalmuri shop to savour the evening snack, instantly grabbing headlines. This Wednesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari served jhalmuri to the Prime Minister during a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) meeting in Delhi on the occasion of the completion of 12-years of NDA government at the Centre.

While campaigning, BJP leaders had frequntly indulged in Bengali delicacies, including ‘machh-bhat’ (fish served with rice) which got political traction given the saffron party’s perceived ‘anti-meat’ stance highlighted by the TMC.

Prominent leaders like senior BJP leader Anurag Thakur was seen relishing rice meals at eateries during campaigning. Local BJP leaders also reportedly held ‘fish festivals’ to counter BJP’s ‘outsider’ label in the assembly election.