Elections across 23 guilds in Kolkata’s Tollygunge entertainment industry have drawn roughly 3,500 voters, with the representatives chosen expected to form a federation overseeing the functioning of the sector. The two-day process, held on Saturday and Sunday, was marked by police deployment at polling venues and competing claims about whether the industry would become more democratic and accessible to workers.
On Sunday, 11 guilds representing occupations including hairdressing, sound recording, trolley operation and set work went to the polls. Voting had taken place in several other guilds on Saturday, including those representing catwalk professionals responsible for positioning lights and dancers. A little over 1,000 people voted on Saturday and close to 2,500 on Sunday, according to sources cited by Telegraph India.
Polling was held at Technicians Studio, Indrapuri Studio, NT1 Studio and No. 9 Studio on NSC Bose Road in Tollygunge. The electoral process covered 23 of the industry’s 26 guilds. The elected representatives will form the federation responsible for overseeing the industry’s functioning.
The elections have become a test of how work opportunities and representation will be managed in an industry where guild membership and internal associations can influence access to jobs. Gouranga Mitra, a candidate for assistant secretary of the Cinematographers’ Association, said the industry needed more work and that he would request the state government to increase the number of television channels. He also alleged that members had previously been unable to freely elect their preferred representatives.
Several voters said the security arrangements were more extensive than those seen during earlier guild elections. Police personnel were deployed outside polling stations. Sound recordist Biswanath Das said he hoped the changes would extend to the industry’s work culture, describing the restructuring as an opportunity for wider institutional change.
The elections have also taken place against allegations that Tollygunge’s industry bodies had become closely controlled by the erstwhile ruling Trinamool Congress. The change in government was followed by allegations that the BJP was attempting to influence the industry’s functioning. BJP MLA Papiya Adhikari questioned the participation of some former associates of Swarup Biswas, while veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty, a cultural adviser to the state government’s information and cultural affairs department, said the election represented a break from the past and that people with skills would receive opportunities.
BJP MLA Rudranil Ghosh and actor-politician Roopa Ganguly also visited the studios during the polling. The presence of political figures underlined the wider contest over control and representation within one of Bengal’s most prominent creative industries, although the immediate responsibility of the new representatives will be to manage guild affairs and members’ work-related concerns.
Somnath Kundu, a National Award-winning make-up artist elected president of the Make-up Artists’ Guild on Saturday, said restoring unity would be his first priority. He also said he would work towards equal opportunities without discrimination based on gender or political affiliation and establish a women’s committee to address grievances.
The elected guild representatives are now expected to form the federation that will oversee the industry, with its functioning and handling of work access, internal grievances and representation set to determine whether the promised restructuring translates into changes for workers across Tollygunge.
