Karnataka polls: Before Kichcha Sudeep, these were BJP's star campaigners
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has reportedly chosen Kannada actor Kichcha Sudeep as the star campaigner for the upcoming Karnataka elections which are scheduled for May 10. Apart from Sudeep, the BJP has also deployed some of its best political heavy-weights in the poll-bound state. Meanwhile, take a look at celebrity star campaigners of the BJP in the upcoming/previous Karnataka elections.
Darshan Thoogudeepa
According to reports, the BJP will be inducting one more Kannada actor as a member, apart from the Vikrant Rona actor. Darshan Thoogudeepa, popularly known as Darshan, will also reportedly be campaigning for the party. The Kranthiveera Sangolli Rayanna actor along with Sudeep, is slated to join the party at 1:30pm in presence of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, said an ANI report.
Hema Malini
In the 2018 assembly elections in Karnataka, veteran actor-turned-politician, Hema Malini was deployed in the state as one of the star campaigners for the BJP. She was among the 40 star campaigners alongside senior leaders of the party such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, then-BJP President Amit Shah, and Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, among others.
Shruti
Kannada star Shruti was also on the list of star campaigners of BJP for the 2018 elections in Karnataka. Chairperson of Karnataka's Women's Development Corporation, Shruti started her career with Malayalam films before entering the Sandalwood industry. In her acting career spanning over two decades, she has shared the screen space with actors such as Ambareesh, Shiva Rajkumar, Tiger Prabhakar, and others.
Khushbu Sundar
Actor-turned-politician Khushbu Sundar, who has predominantly worked in the Tamil cinema, was also BJP's star campaigner in the 2020 assembly by-polls. Back then, Sundar conducted a road show in Laggere, per reports. Interestingly, she became the first Indian actor to have been nominated as a member of the National Commission for Women (NCW), early this year in February.
Smriti Irani
Union Minister Smriti Irani was also among the 40 star campaigners of the BJP during the 2018 elections. Before entering the world of politics, Irani was an actor who gained recognition with Ekta Kapoor's television serial Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. She was also seen hosting the crime show Savdhaan India. Presently, Irani holds the chair of the Minister of Minority Affairs.