Celebrities add glamour, attract voter attention
Given how a general election in India is also the world's largest democratic exercise, it is only fair that the 16th lok Sabha poll has a certain glamour quotient. And so it is that across the country, popular personalities from fields as varied as music and magic, sports and cinema, are participating in the electoral process. Many have plunged headlong into the electoral fray while others are cheering their candidates from the sideline, and through it all they will be in the company of old-timers whose star powers have not dimmed even after their time in the dirt and dust of mainstream politics. A good example of this is the constituency of Chandigarh which will witness the country's most glamorous faceoff — between veteran actor Kirron Kher, representing the BJP, and former Miss India Gul Panag, contesting on an Aam Aadmi Party ticket. Fireworks are also expected in the Mumbai North-West constituency where Rakhi Sawant and Kamaal R Khan, both with a reputation for being controversy's child, will be launching their political careers. In general, most political parties are banking on a mix of old and new stars to attract the voters' attention. The Congress has managed to bring in Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishen while Nagma, a star from a by-gone era, will represent the party in Meerut. The BJP, on the other hand, has roped in cinestars Paresh Rawal (Ahmedabad East) and Joy Banerjee (Birbhum), music sensations Babul Suprio (Asansol) and Bappi lahiri (Sreerampore) as well as magician PC Sorcar (Barasat) to add some bling to its campaign. Bhojpuri star Manoj Tiwari, who made his electoral debut in 2009 as the Samajwadi Party's candidate from Gorakhpur, will also be contesting on a BJP ticket from North-East Delhi. Additionally, the party is also fielding its proven lot of crowd-pullers such as Shatrughan Sinha and Vinod Khanna, both of whom who have served as a Union Ministers. Hema Malini, who many argue is still India's only ‘Dreamgirl', is contesting from Mathura, having served as a nominated member in the Rajya Sabha.
Of course, none can match the glistening list of candidates prepared by the Trimanool Congress (always a Tollygunge favourite), which includes yesteryear stars Moon Moon Sen (Bankura) and Biswajeet (New Delhi) alongside today's heartthrob Dev (Ghatal) and football champion Baichung Bhutia (Darjeeling). Indeed, the party seems to have inducted Bengal's sports and entertainment industry en masse. The situation is also heavily charged in the South where there is a long history of moviestars, like NT Rama Rao and MG Ramachandran, not just participating in political life but redefining power equations. Indeed, the 20 actor-strong star delegation driving the campaign of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa (herself a former moviestar) is hard to miss, just as the electoral battle between Telugu superstar K Chiranjeevi and his younger brother Pawan Kalyan promises to be an interesting one.