The Left Front has placed its faith in young faces for the upcoming civic body elections in Siliguri. The youths chosen to contest the polls include those from Red Volunteers, a voluntary initiative to help people in distress during the Covid19 pandemic.

Fourteen young men and women of Red Volunteers figure in the list of the Left’s 43 candidates for the 22 January Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) elections. Twenty-five-year-old Suraj Kundu, the youngest candidate in the Left camp, is contesting from ward 10. According to him, working as a Red Volunteer helped him establish a strong relation with the residents.

“We offered help to anyone inneed, irrespective of his or her political affiliation. I was associated with the sanitisation of many houses and food delivery, and tried to stand beside residents on any issue,” said Mr Kundu, who has done his masters in political science. A diehard fan of Sourav Ganguly, he said the fight would be tough, but that he was ready to accept the challenge. “I had not expected the party to nominate me, but it means a lot to me. I am hopeful that people will support me,” said Mr Kundu, who was seen on a door to-door campaign, carrying the red flag, in the ward.

According to senior CPI-M leaders, round-the-clock service by Red Volunteers during the pandemic had renewed their bond with the people. The party wants to ride high on the popularity of the young brigade in the polls and is pinning hopes on such candidates as it tries to groom a second generation of leaders at a time when the party has been facing a crisis on this issue, they said.

Another young candidate of ward 23, Ayantika Chakraborty, said that among the many services, she recalls an instance when a traumatised domestic help, who would work as a cook, called her saying her neighbours suspected her to be a Covid patient and boycotted her.

“At least for 12 consecutive days, we delivered food, ration and other essential commodities to her doorsteps. I am happy to be part of the Red Volunteers,” Ms Chakraborty, who is a school teacher, said. The 30-year-old has grown up with inspiration from the Left culture at home. “I am receiving positive response from the people and won’t shy away from the fight,” she said.

With not a single Left candidate winning the Assembly elections in the state this year, Red Volunteers carried hopes of the parties’ redemption by extending timely assistance to Covid patients during the deadly second wave of the pandemic, leaders said. According to CPI-M candidate of ward 24, Indrajit Chanda, a popular face in the locality who is known as Chotka to most people, the voluntary initiative to reach out to the distressed people was not at all meant to seek votes from the people.

“It is selfless, humanitarian service and we will continue to work for the people. Right from taking Covid suspects in ambulances, arranging blood for them when their condition turned critical, delivering oxygen cylinders, medicines, food at doorsteps, we had opened community kitchens for several days,” said Mr Chanda, who was the strategist for Shankar Ghosh when he had contested the last civic elections on a CPI-M ticket in the same ward in 2015. Mr Ghosh had been elected from the ward, but in the run-up to the Assembly polls this year he moved to the BJP. Now the BJP MLA of Siliguri, Mr Ghosh is set to contest against his friend Mr Chanda.

“This is the existing ward of the CPI-M, so my efforts will be to retain the seat,” said Mr Chanda, who is also an active Red Volunteer member. Darjeeling district Left Front convener Jibesh Sarkar said that they had chosen people who had rushed to the common people during the pandemic.

“We have adopted a balancing approach during the selection of the candidates and have focused on their relations with the local residents, their commitment and dedication. Fourteen activists from Red Volunteers will contest the polls. The way they served the people during the crisis proved that the Left always stand by the people. Many of them had been infected with Covid-19 while reaching out to the people then. The initiative was not taken for electoral gains as the Leftists never work for people for material gains,” Mr Sarkar said.