The election season is here and like every time, the political parties are attempting to get film stars to stand for elections to increase their chances of winning. It has come to light that the chief minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde, is in talks with actor Govinda to be Shiv Sena’s candidate from the Mumbai North West seat. Meanwhile, there are reports that Congress is wooing actress Swara Bhasker to fight the elections.
There are conflicting reports on who was the first one to approach. Some reports claim that Eknath Shinde made the first move and met Govinda around 5 days ago while according to certain reports, Govinda called the CM on Friday, March 22, and asked for a ticket. It is also said that the other Shiv Sena faction, led by Uddhav Thackeray, has decided to give the ticket of the same constituency to Amol Kirtikar. Amol’s father, Gajanan Kirtikar, a sitting MP, is with Shinde Sena and he doesn’t want to fight against his son. Hence, Eknath Shinde zeroed in on Govinda.
The decision of Govinda to enter politics yet again has caused a stir in political as well as Bollywood circles. In 2004, Govinda won from Mumbai North on a Congress ticket, breaking BJP’s five-term streak. However, the actor was criticized for not giving enough time to his political career.
In an interview with Bombay Times in December 2016, Govinda said, “I have no regrets about my career in films, but I regret joining politics. I didn't get a film for 10 years. I planned to leave politics while I was still a part of it, but I completed my term and never looked back.” Last year, a fake tweet, over a political row in Haryana, attributed to him went viral. That’s when the actor claimed, “It’s been 18 years since I quit politics, I won’t slyly tweet to get back into it.”
On the other hand, Swara Bhasker, known for her acting chops as well as her activism, is said to be one of the candidates that Congress is considering for the Mumbai North Central seat. Reports also state that the other candidate who might get the Congress ticket for the same seat is veteran actor Raj Babbar.
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