Lok Sabha Elections 2024: ‘Can’t use celeb card for votes,' says Hema Malini

Hema Malini with the farmers

It sounds like Hema Malini, the Bollywood star, is quite dedicated to her campaign efforts in Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. Starting her day early, meeting locals and party workers, visiting various areas, and participating in a range of activities show her commitment to serving her constituency. It's interesting how the connection to Lord Krishna's birthplace adds a unique dimension to her campaign in the devotional city of Vrindavan and Mathura.

Hema, the BJP candidate from the Mathura constituency, is contesting for the third time. She's been actively involved in various campaign activities, from attending Holi events to meeting farmers, and gurus, visiting ashrams and holding public rallies. With the election approaching on April 26, the BJP, including Amit Shah, recently held a public gathering in Mathura. The party is confident about winning the Mathura seat, especially since the RLD party, which was previously against them, has joined forces. Additionally, a higher voter turnout is expected this time.

Amit Shah and Hema Malini at a rally in Mathura

Hema Malini expressed her gratitude, saying, "I am proud and happy to have the opportunity for the third time. I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah for their trust and confidence in me. The people of Mathura love me. From meeting farmers to attending roadshows, public rallies, and door-to-door interactions, I am reaching out to the masses in every possible way."

She highlighted that being a celebrity won't automatically garner votes and that she's committed to connecting with people in Mathura. "I meet everyone and spend most of my time campaigning," she said. "I believe in doing the work rather than relying solely on my celebrity status. Sometimes, being a celebrity poses challenges during campaigning, but I manage it as best as I can. People want to meet me regardless of whether I'm working or not, often just to take pictures," she added.

Hema interacting with the locals

Elaborating on the work done during her tenure, she said, "From developing roads in the city, highway, and rural areas to installing electric street lights across the Mathura belt. Around 14 flyovers, 6 underpasses, and two flyovers are still pending. Providing funds and accessories like furniture to schools. Beautification of the Mathura junction. Also, utilising the Pradhan Mantri Yojana for the benefit of the people. Additionally, there are many future plans pending. Establishment of national-level workshops for training youth in the art and cultural field in the district for cultural upliftment. Purification of Yamuna water. Construction of an airstrip in the district. Establishment of girls' schools for the upliftment of girl education. Krishna theme park and many more plans as we move forward. We experience a lot of changes, and we learn every day."

Elaborating on her future plans to promote art, she said, "Even in politics, culture and art are my first love. Prime Minister Narendra Modi encouraged me to showcase the artist within. In a cultural city like Mathura, art should be celebrated. We're planning two world-class theatres similar to Mumbai's National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA). The work is underway and will be inaugurated soon. I'm confident that I'll perform in the theatre to promote the arts in the city. Before coming to Mathura, I performed in cultural events in five different places, including Bombay, Nagpur, and Ujjain. I love it and will continue to do so. When it comes to performance, campaigning, and meeting people, I always feel energetic and young. But physically and mentally, I feel the changes in me over time."

She added, "Both my daughters came to Mathura and are helping me with campaigning. They are very active. Esha is already following in my footsteps. I noticed her during the campaign; she's active and inspiring. She understands people's problems and can convince them. She may enter politics in the near future. Esha is showing interest and is smart, active, intelligent, and capable of working. Not bound by Mathura, but from wherever she likes. The same goes for Ahana."

2,93,471
Margin of votes Hema won by in 2019

In the past...

Mathura constituency in 2014:
In 2014, Hema Malini, contesting from the BJP ticket, defeated RLD candidate Jayant Chaudhary by 3,30,743 votes. Hema received 5,74,633 votes, while Jayant Chaudhary got 2,43,890 votes.

Mathura Constituency, Uttar Pradesh, in 2019:
Hema won the Mathura constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, securing 6,71,293 votes, while 3,77,822 votes were polled in favour of Kunwar Narendra Singh of RLD. Hema won with a massive margin of 2,93,471 votes.