Odisha polls: BJP ropes in over a dozen cine stars for campaigning

Bhubaneswar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has roped in over a dozen of Odia film actors as its star campaigners to woo the voters for the Saffron party in the forthcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

As many as eight Odia film stars, including veterans like Mihir Das and Aparajita Mohanty who recently joined the BJP, are the prominent faces among the list of cinema personalities.

Among others who figured in the State BJP’s star campaigners’ list are Mahaswata Ray, Ashrumochan Mohanty, Sritam Das, Anu Choudhury, Harihar Mohapatra and Pinky Pradhan.

Aparajita Mohanty, who has acted in over hundreds of Odia films and a household name in the State, had joined the BJP after quitting Congress last year. She had unsuccessfully contested from Cuttack Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket in 2014.

Likewise, Mihir Das, who was campaigning for the ruling BJD in the panchayat elections in the State, had joined the Saffron party in January 2018.

Besides, Bollywood actor and Rajya Sabha MP Hema Malini was also included the list to hit the campaign trail to garner votes for BJP in Odisha.

The 40-member star campaigners’ list submitted by the State unit of BJP to the Odisha Election Commission also included names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP National President Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Jual Oram, Smriti Irani, among others.