CHANDIGARH : BJP’s Kangana Ranaut on Friday began her Lok Sabha election campaign from her hometown Mandi in Himachal Pradesh with a road show. “Don’t think Kangana is a heroine, that she is a star… consider Kangana your sister, your daughter; everyone is my family,’’ she said and hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a high-pitched ‘Jai Shri Ram.’
A large number of people turned up to see the Bollywood actor, a four-time National Award winner born in Bhambla town of Mandi. Amidst the chants of “Jai Shri Ram”, the BJP workers welcomed Ranaut by showering flowers on her and dancing to drum beats.
“You can see the large gathering here. They are all proud that the daughter of Mandi will represent the constituency,” Ranaut said as she started the road show in her home town with ‘Modi ji ko Jai Shri Ram.’ She also hailed other BJP leaders with similar slogans.
“Development is the BJP’s main agenda and we will spare no effort to win the elections under the guidance of PM Modi,” she said.
Crediting Modi for bringing about “change in the country” since 2014, Ranaut said a feeling of pride and nationalism has prevailed among Indians.
This was Ranaut’s first public appearance in her constituency after she received the BJP ticket on March 24. In October 2022, Ranaut said she was open to contesting from Mandi if the BJP offered her the ticket.
The Mandi seat is represented by Himachal Congress chief Pratibha Singh, the wife of former CM Virbhadra Singh and mother of Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh. She won the 2021 LS bypolls.