Bhojpuri stars to add glamour to UP polls, Khesari Lal meets Akhilesh

Lucknow, June 23 (IANS) The upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, due early next year, will witness a starry war from the Bhojpuri film industry.The two major players in the elections -- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Samajwadi Party (SP)-- are firming up their hold on Bhojpuri film stars and will be using them to attract voters.While the BJP already has Ravi Kishan and Manoj Tiwari -- both MPs -- in its fold, the Samajwadi Party is also getting Bhojpuri stars on its side.Well known Bhojpuri star Khesari Lal Yadav met SP President Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday. The two posed for photographs and had a lengthy discussion on the political situation."We discussed '22 mein bicycle' - our tag line for the elections," admitted Akhilesh.Party insiders said that Khesari Lal was all set to join the party.Another Bhojpuri star Kajal Nishad had also met Akhilesh Yadav a week ago, and is said to be keen on joining the party.A senior party functionary said, "Bhojpuri cinema is gaining popularity across north India and is no longer confined to just Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Getting these stars to campaign becomes a huge advantage because they are crowd pullers on their own, and enjoy a loyal fan following."Incidentally, the BJP has another mega star from the Bhojpuri film industry in its fold-Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirhua, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections against Akhilesh Yadav from Azamgarh.

--IANS amita/dpb