Raju Srivastav, who is based in Mumbai, said Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Rita Bahuguna had approached him to contest from the Allahabad-Phulpur constituency.
This is no laughing matter. If all goes well, the Phulpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh, which had elected India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to the Lok Sabha, may witness a television laughter show champion as the Congress candidate.
Raju Srivastav, who is based in Mumbai, said Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Rita Bahuguna had approached him to contest from the Allahabad-Phulpur constituency.
“I was shocked when I first heard about the offer. I thought it was another joke, better than the ones I crack. But I was told that it was a serious offer and I should consider it seriously,” the 45-year-old stand-up comedian said on Sunday.
Raju said he had met Congress President Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on March 13. “She said she knows me from my TV shows. I told her I like her working style of taking along people of all sections of society,” Raju said.
“Soniaji did not ask me anything but Bahuguna told her that she had explained everything to me.
“I was born in Kanpur but my father hails from Allahabad, which is about 35 km from Phulpur.
Asked how he felt about entering politics, Raju replied, “I love doing new things, taking up new challenges. When I first came to Mumbai, I drove a taxi for a month and later worked on stage shows, earning Rs 100 per day. Who knows what tomorrow has in store for me.”
Raju already has plans for his foray in Parliament. “My mimicry of Lalu Prasad is a hit but I have only seen him from a distance. In the Lok Sabha, I will get a chance to observe him at close quarters,” he said.
If Raju is to be believed, it is not only the Congress that has offered him a Lok Sabha seat. “I have similar offers from some other parties,” he said, adding he was waiting for Sonia Gandhi’s decision.
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