Jive to the peppy songs of Disco King Bappi Lahiri and Bollywood crooner Babul Supriyo, enjoy free live performances of Bengali cinestar Deb and yesteryear’s glamour queen Moon Moon Sen, or come under the spell of magician P.C. Sorcar (Junior) — welcome to the colourful political landscape of Bengal.

It is literally raining celebrities in the poll season.

Reigning Bengali matinee idol Dev, Lahiri, Supriyo and Sen are among the large number of celeb candidates who will be trying out their electoral fortunes in the coming Lok Sabha elections. From sporting icons to theatre personalities, actors and singers, politics in Bengal – long associated with blood and violence – is now daubed in glamour and glitz.

Trinamool's celeb candidates

The ruling Trinamool Congress has stolen a march over the others in the sheer number of celebrities it has fielded at the hustings. Representation of eminent citizens from all walks of life sets the Trinamool Congress apart from rest of the parties.

The likes of Sen, actors Sandhya Roy, Satabdi Roy and Tapas Pal besides Dev as well as country’s soccer greats Bhaichung Bhutia and Prasun Banerjee are seeking the people’s blessings on the Trinamool’s ghasphool symbol.

Not surprisingly, the advent of the stars has created a buzz among the voters. Accustomed to watching seasoned politicos making mundane speeches, they are now making a beeline to watch the icons in flesh and blood.

With the celebrities set to call upon their brethren for canvassing and endorsing them, people are in anticipation of a glitzy electoral affair this time around. The prospect of seeing their role models within grasping distance has created a flutter among the masses especially in rural areas.

Bhaichung Bhutia campaigning in his constituency

The common man is ecstatic seeing the stars descend on their backyards as they hit the campaign trail.

Opinions are also divided among the electorates, while some feel stars – always conscious of their public image – will not indulge in scams or corruptions, others are of the view that they are unaware of ground realities and may not be able to raise pertinent issues.