As Bengal Awaits Election Verdict, Cartoonists Draw A Win

Kolkata: While the feverish election activity in West Bengal is drawing to a close and the verdict is less than a week away, this year's polls have already been a winner for some.

With a tough fight and the results anybody's guess, cartoonists say this election has been one of the best in many years.

From the Prime Minister to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul - all have been the subject of colourful caricatures this year, they say.
 "As a cartoonist, I have never had a subject like this election. The CPM and the Congress came together to fight an election - this is best topic. And with the Trinamool also facing corruption charges, my pen has had a lot of work this time," said cartoonist and animator Sentu.

But do politicians know how to laugh at themselves? Not like before, say old timers. Amal Aloy, who started his career in the 1960s, said politicians have lost their sense of humour.
 "Political characters have changed. When I caricatured BC Roy or Atulya Ghosh they enjoyed it. Today's politicians don't like it and even if they do, their followers harass you. Intolerance has crept in," the senior cartoonist told NDTV.

That this year's elections have been relatively difficult to call have added to the potential to poke fun, cartoonists said. "Kolkata's urban population does not know what is going to happen. This confusion gives the cartoonist a lot of material to work on," Uday Deb, who works with Bengali daily Ei Samay, said.