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Phase IV to decide fate of many stars

NEW DELHI: Though the star campaigners of different parties can now take rest or move to other areas, as the campaign for the Phase-IV poll, scheduled again on a Thursday, ended at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, some of the real stars are keeping their fingers crossed, as this Phase will decide their political future.

In Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar, it is a fight between the silver screen and the small screen; popular film actor of yesteryears Shatrughan Sinha (Bharatiya Janata Party) is pitted against television star Shekar Suman (Congress).

In Fatehpur Sikri in Uttar Pradesh, another popular Hindi film star Raj Babbar is trying his luck as a Congress nominee. Mr. Babbar, a Lok Sabha member from Agra elected on the Samajwadi Party ticket, crossed over to the Congress, and also lost his Agra seat, which has become a reserved seat (for SC) after delimitation.

In West Bengal, popular Bengali actor Tapash Pal is fielded by the Trinamool Congress to woo the voters of Krishnanagar seat.

This election will also witness some former Chief Ministers trying their chance to enter the Lok Sabha. They include National Conference president and the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah (from Srinagar), the former Haryana Chief Minister and Haryana Janhit Congress leader, Bhajan Lal (Hissar).

In Srinagar, it is brother versus sister, though the contest is triangular. Mr. Abdullah is facing his estranged elder sister Khalida Shah, wife of the former Chief Minister, Ghulam Mohammad Shah, who passed away in January this year.

Ms. Khalida is chairperson of the Awami National Conference (ANC) founded by Shah.

The other notable personality among the 1,315 contestants, including 119 women, in Phase IV is young Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja (Ambala-SC).

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