With the announcement of the 2024 Lok Sabha election results on June 4, it is curtains for the dramatic electoral battle that went on for close to two months. The political arena welcomed a star-studded cast of celebrities from entertainment and sports industries, and their performances at the polling booths were nothing short of captivating.
From silver screen to Parliament
From Bollywood’s Kangana Ranaut to the iconic Arun Govil of Ramayan fame, actors have left an indelible mark on the political stage. Kangana Ranaut, known for her fearless portrayals on screen, stepped into the political limelight by contesting on the BJP ticket from her hometown Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. In a remarkable debut, she emerged victorious, triumphing over the Congress’ Vikramaditya Singh by a substantial margin of 74,755 votes.
Ranaut shared a post on X about her win with a picture collage featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi, thanking the people for voting for her.
Arun Govil, revered for his portrayal of Lord Ram in the TV series Ramayan, contested from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh on the BJP ticket. Despite an initial setback, he emerged triumphant, winning the seat by a margin of 10,585 votes, defeating the Samajwadi Party candidate Sunita Verma. After his win, he said, “I would like to thank the voters, BJP workers, and party leadership. I will try my best to meet their expectations to the best of my ability.”
BJP leader and veteran actor Hema Malini shows a victory sign to supporters as they celebrate the party’s victory in the Lok Sabha election, in Mathura on June 4. | Photo Credit: KK Arora/ANI
The “Dream Girl” of Indian cinema, Hema Malini, exhibited her political prowess by winning the Mathura constituency for the third consecutive time. Her victory, with a staggering margin of 2,93,407 votes, is a testament to her enduring popularity and the affection of her constituents. After her win, she said, “I am very happy that I am getting a chance to serve people for the third time, I thank the people... I am getting an opportunity to complete all the work that was left incomplete... I also thank the workers of our alliance.”
Veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha, contesting from the Asansol Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal, emerged victorious on a Trinamool Congress ticket. His margin of 59,564 votes reinforces his ability to connect with his audience, both on and off the screen.
The entertainment industry’s influence extended beyond Bollywood, as Bhojpuri superstar Manoj Tiwari secured his third consecutive victory in the North East Delhi Lok Sabha seat, defeating Congress candidate Kanhaiya Kumar by a margin of 1,37,066 votes. His win underscores the mass appeal he commands, transcending regional and cultural boundaries.
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Fellow Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan, who was the sitting MP in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur, emerged victorious by a margin of 1,03,526 votes.
Suresh Gopi created history by winning the BJP’s first-ever Lok Sabha seat in Kerala. He defeated CPI(M)’s V.S. Sunilkumar by 74,686 votes. The actor-turned-politician garnered 4,12,338 votes against his rival’s 3,37,652. Gopi (65) was also nominated as a Rajya Sabha MP from 2016 to 2022.
The battleground extended to the Bengali film industry, with actors like Deepak “Dev” Adhikari, Hiran Chatterjee, Rachana Banerjee, June Malia, and Satabdi Roy in the political arena. While Deepak Adhikary defeated Hiran Chatterjee in the Ghatal Lok Sabha seat, Rachana Banerjee defeated fellow actor and sitting MP Locket Chatterjee in Hooghly. Meanwhile, June Malia prevailed in Medinipur whereas Satabdi Roy retained her Birbhum seat for the fourth consecutive time.
A different kind of pitch
Cricket stars Kirti Azad and Yusuf Pathan turned out to be giant slayers, while football great Prasun Banerjee held on to his political turf but a couple of others fell by the wayside on a mixed day for India’s sporting heroes who tried their luck in the general election.
Para-athlete Devendra Jhajhariya (BJP), who has two Paralympic gold medals in javelin throw, and former hockey captain Dilip Tirkey (Biju Janata Dal) conceded defeats in their respective seats of Churu, Rajasthan, and Sundargarh, Odisha. Jhajharia, also a first-time contestant, lost by 72,737 votes to Congress’ Rahul Kaswan from Rajasthan’s Churu constituency. Tirkey, who is currently the head of Hockey India, also tasted defeat from his native Sundargarh constituency against BJP heavyweight and former Union minister Jual Oram.
Another sporting stalwart fighting on a Trinamool ticket was former football captain Banerjee, who won by 1.69 lakh votes from Howrah in West Bengal. It would be his third consecutive term representing the constituency.
But Azad and Yusuf, both fighting on the Trinamool Congress ticket, stamped their authority in the political battleground by registering upset wins.
Former cricketer Yusuf Pathan celebrates his victory as the Trinamool Congress candidate from the Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency on June 4. | Photo Credit: PTI
Azad, a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning “Kapil’s Devils”, made a strong political comeback beating West Bengal BJP heavyweight Dilip Ghosh from Bardhaman-Durgapur constituency by a margin of 1,37,981 votes. It came as a rude shock for the BJP as Ghosh had also served as one of the national vice presidents of the party (2021-23) and was a vocal critic of the Mamata Banerjee-led State government.
Yusuf, who originally hails from Gujarat, also caused a major upset as he beat five-time Congress MP and incumbent Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in West Bengal’s Baharampur constituency by over 85,000 votes.
Azad, son of former Bihar Chief Minister Bhagwat Jha Azad, played seven Test matches and 25 one-day internationals for India between 1980 and 1986. He is no novice to Indian politics and was elected to Parliament for the first time from Darbhanga in Bihar in 1999. He was again elected to the Lok Sabha from Darbhanga for two consecutive terms in 2009 and 2014 on the BJP ticket.
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Azad was suspended by the BJP in 2015 after he criticised the late Arun Jaitley, then Union Finance Minister, over alleged corruption in the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA). He unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Dhanbad on the Congress ticket before switching allegiance to the Trinamool Congress in 2021.
On the other hand, it was Yusuf’s maiden foray into politics. He was a part of the Indian team that won the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa and was also a member of the side that clinched the 2011 ODI World Cup at home.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
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