Sunny Deol, Hema Malini, Modi among BJP star campaigners for Delhi polls

Tribune Web Desk
Chandigarh, January 22

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, actors Hema Malini and Sunny Deol are among the BJP’s list of 40 star campaigners for the upcoming Delhi polls.

The list, released on Wednesday, also names Hans Raj Hans, Gautam Gambhir, Ravi Kishan and Dinesh Lal Yadav 'Nirahua' as campaigners.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda will also be campaigning for the party in Delhi.

Some of the inclusions are very tactical like that of union minister Smriti Irani. Her ability to converse in Bengali can be used by the party during its campaign amid a sizeable Bengali community in the national capital. Santosh's southern origin is expected to be used in areas like Karol Bagh and Mayur Vihar where there is a sizable presence of south Indians.

Similarly, Manoj Tiwari, who is not just Delhi BJP Chief but a popular Bhojpuri singer and actor along with Ravi Kishen, are there to woo the significant Purvanchali voters who hail from Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Tiwari's popularity transcended the bhojpuri industry when he sang 'Jiya Ho Bihar Ke Lala Jiya Tu Haazar Sala' in popular Bollywood movie 'Gangs of Wasseypur'. BJP wishes to milk this to the hilt.

Sunny Deol, the BJP MP known for his "ye dhai kilo ka haath" dialogue that many expected from him during Lok Sabha campaign in Punjab's Gurdaspur, is also included in the list. So is yesteryear's star Hema Malini, who is a BJP MP from Mathura.

Then there is a "pahadi" community that has made Delhi their home for long. While BJP's new President Nadda is being projected as their own man, Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jairam Thakur, his protege, former Uttarakhand CM Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Anurag Thakur will be pressed to reach out to them.

Meanwhile, all seven BJP MPs from Delhi will be extensively campaigning in assembly constituencies that fall under their Lok Sabha jurisdiction. For instance, Tajinder Bagga's Hari Nagar assembly constituency falls under Parvesh Singh's Lok Sabha area and he will have a primary responsibility towards this.

The saffron party has been out of power in Delhi since 1998. After a below-par performance in neighbouring Haryana and a humiliating loss in Jharkhand, winning the 2020 Delhi elections is not just a big challenge, but also an issue of prestige for the BJP.

The February 8 elections to the 70-member Assembly have become even more crucial with the contentious CAA-NPR and student protests acquiring the centre stage. The results will be read along with burning issues across the country.—with IANS

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.