Lok Sabha Election Results: As the clock ticks down to the pivotal counting day, attention is riveted on the fate of several celebrities who threw their hats into the political ring for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. These personalities have captured public interest with their foray into the political arena, and their electoral fortunes are now eagerly awaited:
Kangana Ranaut
The outspoken actress is contesting from her hometown, Mandi in Himachal Pradesh on Bhartoya Janta Party (BJP) ticket. She is pitted against Congress’ Vikramaditya Singh, the son of former six-time chief minister Virbhadra Singh and sitting Mandi MP Pratibha Singh.
Manoj Tiwari
Politician, singer, and actor Manoj Tiwari is the BJP candidate from the North-East Delhi Lok Sabha. Congress' Kanhaiya Kumar, the former president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU), is up against him, giving him a tough competition.
Shatrughan Sinha
The veteran actor is running for the Asansol seat in West Bengal as a candidate of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). He is pitted against Surinderjeet Singh Ahluwalia from BJP. Shatrughan Sinha is a former Union minister with portfolios of Shipping and Health under him in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
Hema Malini
The celebrated actress and sitting MP is again contesting from Mathura on the BJP seat. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Hema Malini had emerged as a winner in the Mathura constituency, securing 671,293 votes. Similarly, in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Hema Malini also achieved a decisive victory in Mathura. She defeated RLD candidate Jayant Chaudhary by a margin of 330,743 votes. This time Congress’ Mukesh Dangar, Suresh Singh from BSP are contesting against her.
Arun Govil
Famous for his portrayal of Lord Ram in the TV series ‘Ramayana,’ Arun Govil is contesting from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh on a BJP ticket. Devrat Kumar Tyagi (BSP) and Sunita Verma (SP) are pitted against him.
Pawan Singh
Bhojpuri star Pawan Singh is contesting from Karakat constituency in Bihar as an independent candidate. The actor refused to contest the Lok Sabha poll from Asansol on BJP ticket. He faces tough fight from NDA candidate and former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha, Rajaram Singh of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist).
Ravi Kishan
Bhojpuri actor, Ravi Kishan, will contest from Gorakhpur on BJP ticket. He is pitted against SP's Kajal Nishad and BSP's Javed Ashraf. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Kishan won against Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Rambhual Nishad with a margin of 3,01,664 votes from Gorakhpur.
Dinesh Lal Yadav (Nirahua)
Another Bhojpuri cinema star, he is contesting from Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh on a BJP ticket. the SP has fielded Dharmendra Yadav against Yadav. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav bagged the seat and retained it for the SP. In 2022, Akhilesh Yadav stepped down as he had been elected as an MLA from the Karhal constituency in Mainpuri district. Dinesh Lal Yadav emerged victorious with a thin margin of 8,679 votes in the 2022 by-elections.
Dev Adhikary and Hiran Chatterjee
The two actors from the Bengali film industry, Dev Adhikary and Hiran Chatterjee, have been in a heated rivalry ever since the TMC and BJP pitted them against each other in the Ghatal Lok Sabha constituency. Dev has accused Hiran of fostering an atmosphere of terror in Keshpur, Bengal. Meanwhile, Hiran has alleged that the police failed to take action against Dev after his personal secretary was "caught red-handed in a gold smuggling case and a cash-for-jobs scam".
Locket Chatterjee and Rachana Banerjee
Locket Chatterjee, a well-known actor-turned-politician representing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has been a formidable presence in Bengal politics. Currently serving as the Member of Parliament for Hooghly, she is recognised as one of the most outspoken and assertive leaders in the country. Her challenger, Rachana Banerjee (TMC), brings her own celebrity status to the political arena. Best known as the host of the popular Bengali television show "Didi No. 1," Banerjee is making her electoral debut this year. With her widespread popularity and strong support base, she poses a significant challenge to Chatterjee's incumbency.
June Malia
Trinamool Congress has fielded actress-turned-politician June Malia from Medinipur. The seat witnessed a four-cornered contest with BJP’s candidate Agnimitra Paul, CPI’s Biplab Bhatta, and the Congress’ Sambhunath Chattopadhyay. Political observers say that with the Congress and CPI fielding candidates separately, the contest will largely be between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress.
Satabdi Roy
Actress-turned-politician and three-time Trinamool MP from Birbhum, Satabdi Roy is contesting against Debashis Dhar from BJP, Congress’ Milton Rashid. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, even in the midst of a massive BJP wave throughout West Bengal, Satabdi Roy got elected by a margin of over 90,000 votes.
Navneet Rana
Former actress Navneet Rana is a BJP candidate from the Amravati constituency in Maharashtra. She is pitted against Balwant Wankhade from Congress, Sanjaykumar Gadge from BSP.
Suresh Gopi
The Malayalam actor will contest from Thrissur, a Congress stronghold, as a BJP candidate. Former state minister VS Sunil Kumar (CPI) and Congress’ K Muraleedharan are contesting against him.