Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases beginning from April 19 and results will be announced on June 4. Like always, political parties have fielded several actors and celebrities to woo voters for the upcoming polls.
From Kangana Ranaut, who is making her political debut, to veterans like Hema Malini and Shatrughan Sinha, here are seven celebrities slated to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024:
1. Kangana Ranaut
Born to a Rajput family in a small town, Bhambla in Mandi district, Ranaut is an actor, filmmaker, producer and a four-time National Award winner.
She made her debut in Bollywood in 2006 with the thriller movie 'Gangster: A Love Story'. Her other films include 'Queen', 'Once Upon A Time In Mumbai', 'Fashion', and 'Tejas' among others.
On March 24, the BJP announced Kangana's candidacy from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi constituency. She began campaigning on March 29 with a roadshow.
2. Suresh Gopi
He has been a popular actor in the Malayalam film industry with a series of successful cop movies such as 'Highway', 'Commissioner', 'Lelam', 'Ekalavyan', and 'Bharatchandran IPS' among others.
Gopi was sworn in as a Rajya Sabha MP after being nominated by the President of India in the category of eminent citizens under Article 80 of the Indian Constitution in 2016.
The actor later contested in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as a BJP candidate from the Thrissur constituency, but could only manage to come third behind the Congress and CPI candidates.
The BJP is hoping to capitalise on his star status by fielding him from Thrissur again.
3. Manoj Tiwari
Manoj Tiwari is a well-known actor and singer in the Bhojpuri industry and is known for his performances in 'Desh Drohi', 'Dehati Babu' and a few Hindi films and web series such as 'Gangs of Wasseypur' and 'Fan'.
The two-time sitting MP from North East Delhi will contest from the same seat for the third time in a row on a BJP ticket.
Tiwari, 53, is a former president of Delhi BJP. He won the North East Delhi seat in 2019, defeating former Delhi chief minister and Congress candidate Sheila Dikshit by a huge margin.
He fought his first Lok Sabha election as a Samajwadi Party candidate from Gorakhpur against present Uttar Present Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in 2009.
4. Arun Govil
Veteran actor Arun Govil of TV serial 'Ramayan' fame has been fielded by the BJP from Meerut Lok Sabha seat. He has been a part of several films such as 'Paheli', 'Judaai', 'Karm Yudh', 'OMG 2', and 'Article 370'.
5. Ravi Kishan
Popular Bhojpuri star Ravi Kishan will be contesting from Gorakhpur for the second time. The 54-year-old actor is best known for his role in Bhojpuri films such as 'Panditji Batai Na Biyah Kab Hoyi' and 'Banke Bihari MLA' as well as Hindi movies like 'Phir Hera Pheri', 'Raavan', and 'Mukkabaaz'.
6. Hema Malini
Hema Malini is popularly known as the 'Dream Girl' of Bollywood. 'Sholay', 'Satte Pe Satta', 'Dream Girl', and 'Baghban' are a few of her well-known films. Malini, who was elected MP from Mathura in the 2014 and 2019 general elections, has been named the BJP candidate from the seat for the third consecutive time.
7. Shatrughan Sinha
Shatrughan or 'Shotgun' is an industry veteran with several films under his belt including 'Bhai Ho To Aisa', 'Heera', 'Blackmail', 'Kalicharan', and 'Yaaron Ka Yaar’. The actor joined the political arena in 1980 as a BJP candidate along with fellow actor, Rajesh Khanna.
He has been renominated by the TMC from the Asansol Lok Sabha seat. Being fielded from Asansol for the 2022 bypoll after former Union Minister Babul Supriyo resigned as a two-time MP and joined the TMC, Sinha trounced BJP's Agnimitra Paul by over 3 lakh votes.
(With PTI inputs)
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