Who is Vikram Mastal, Congress candidate fielded against Shivraj Chouhan?
The Congress released its first list of 144 candidates on Sunday for the upcoming assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh. Among the notable candidates is Vikram Mastal, the actor who portrayed Hanuman in the 2008 television series "Ramayan." The grand old party has pitted him against incumbent Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan from Budhni. Here is everything you need to know about Mastal!
Know about Mastal's career in television and film
To note, Mastal joined the grand old party this year in July in the presence of former state chief minister Kamal Nath. While the actor-turned-politician is mostly renowned for his role as Hanuman, Mastal also featured in the movie "Top Gear" in 2022 and web series like "Aashram" in 2020 and "Battle of Saragarhi" in 2017.
Mastal condemned language used by Hanuman in 'Adipurush'
Day after joining the Congress, Mastal "condemned the language used" in the movie "Adipurush" by Hanuman. "How you want the world to perceive Indian culture? Would we have visited the temple to worship Hanumanji if He had actually been like this in the Ramayana?" asked Mastal. "It is obvious that your goal in creating this movie is a financial benefit," ANI quoted him as saying.
Budhni seat: A stronghold for CM Chouhan
Notably, the Budhni seat has been a stronghold for Chouhan, who defeated senior Congress leader Arun Yadav with a margin of nearly 58,999 votes in the 2018 assembly polls. The Congress managed to dethrone the BJP by winning 114 seats during the 2018 state assembly polls; however, the saffron brigade returned to power in 2020 after the Nath-led state government collapsed.
Congress releases candidates list for 4 other states
Aside from Madhya Pradesh, the grand old party also released its first list of candidates for the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh and Telangana on Sunday. The 230-member assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh are scheduled for November 17, per the Election Commission of India (ECI). In Telangana, polling will occur on November 30, while in Chhattisgarh, polling will be held in two phases on November 7 and 17. The counting of votes will take place on December 3.
