As usual, BJP to line up actor brigade

In a bid to pull crowds in its public meetings ahead of the municipal elections, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to line up its star campaigners. The list includes Bollywood actors, national leaders; chief ministers of NDA-ruled states and cricketers.

In a bid to pull crowds in its public meetings ahead of the municipal elections, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to line up its star campaigners. The list includes Bollywood actors, national leaders; chief ministers of NDA-ruled states and cricketers.

The party will kick off its campaign blitzkrieg from April 6 with a group of Bollywood actors-turned-politicians.

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The list includes Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha and Hema Malini. TV star Smriti Irani, who unsuccessfully contested the 2004 Lok Sabha election against Kapil Sibal from Chandni Chowk, will be seen.

To win over Poorvanchali and Bihari voters, the party will get Sushil Modi, deputy chief minister of Bihar, to Delhi. Sukhbir Badal, deputy chief minister of Punjab, is also expected as the Akalis have a tie up with the BJP in the municipal elections as well. BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu and Kirti Azaad will hold public meetings.

The party's Muslim faces such as Shahnawaz Hussain and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi will canvass for minority votes.

"The star campaigners are not roped in just to pull crowds. We want to highlight the achievements of the MCD under the BJP rule," said actor-turned-politician Vani Tripathi, who is handling BJP's campaigning.

Some BJP councillors are not very happy with the party's list of campaigners. "The crowds come to see the actors. They don't convert into votes," said a sitting BJP councillor.