The crucial bypoll slated for November 7 has turned into a star war of sorts with top names from Bollywood lining up to campaign, lending glitz and glamour to electioneering.
The crucial bypoll slated for November 7 has turned into a star war of sorts with top names from Bollywood lining up to campaign, lending glitz and glamour to electioneering.
With actor Raj Babbar being the Congress nominee for the Firozabad Lok Sabha seat, a smattering of Bollywood was only to be expected. But the western UP town neighbouring Agra went crazy when Salman Khan landed there on Monday to boost Babbar’s electoral prospects. People flocked the streets just to get a glimpse of the star, and Salman’s road show was indeed a blockbuster. Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi had addressed a huge rally in Firozabad only on Saturday.
As if in response, Samajwadi Party (SP) general secretary Amar Singh got Sanjay Dutt, Jaya Prada and Jaya Bachchan to tilt scales in favour of SP chief Mulayam Singh’s bahu and party candidate Dimple Yadav on Tuesday. “I’m not one of those film stars who have been brought in for money… I’m a party worker,” Sanjay quipped in an oblique reference to Salman.
“People who touched Mulayam Singh’s feet are today contesting this election against his family,” he said, targeting Babbar, who was an SP MP from Agra.
But that’s not all. The Congress plans to up the ante in Firozabad on Wednesday with former party MP and actor Govinda slated to campaign for Babbar. Actor Raza Murad is also scheduled to campaign for the Congress in some assembly constituencies over the next two days.
The byelection for one Lok Sabha and 11 assembly seats is considered crucial as it is the last major electoral battle before 2012 when the assembly elections will be held in UP.
The prestige of at least three Central ministers is also at stake in this ‘mini-election’.
Of the 11 seats, two were vacated by Congress MLAs — MoS for road transport and highways RPN Singh and MoS for rural development Pradip Jain — who won the Lok Sabha election and are now Central ministers. RPN Singh’s mother is contesting the Padrauna seat.
Another Central MoS, Jitin Prasad, has been entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring victory in Puwayan as he represents the neighbouring Dhaurhara seat. Congress sources say the party has planned its campaign to target various sections of the electorate.
So, while company affairs minister Salman Khurshid and Moradabad MP Mohd Azharuddin would do the rounds of Muslim-dominated areas, Dalit leaders, such as former UP Congress president Mahabir Prasad, Barabanki MP PL Punia and Union power minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, would cover SC areas.
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