On Sunday, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) released its fifth list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha 2024 elections featuring some big names including actor Kangana Ranaut from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi. I feel honoured and elated to officially join the party. I look forward to be a worthy karyakarta (worker) and a reliable public servant. Thanks."
The National Award-winning actor who is gearing up for the release of her film Emergency, tweeted, "My beloved Bharat and Bhartiya Janata’s own party, Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) has always had my unconditional support, today the national leadership of BJP has announced me as their Lok Sabha candidate from my birthplace Himachal Pradesh, Mandi (constituency) I abide by the high command’s decision on contesting Lok Sabha polls.
Narendra Modi for her Lok Sabha nomination from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh." width="400" height="270" /> Kangana Ranaut celebrated Holi with BJP workers and thanked ‘Yashasvi Pradhan Mantri’ Narendra Modi for her Lok Sabha nomination from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh.
A day after Kangana Ranaut announced that she would be contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi on the BJP’s ticket, an old post of the actress has surfaced on social media. A Reddit user shared a screengrab of Kangana Ranaut’s March 2021 X (formerly known as Twitter) post in which the actress was seen saying that she would not want to contest polls from her home state, Himachal Pradesh because its “population is hardly 60/70 lakhs” with “no poverty/crime”. Instead she wanted to fight election from a 'state with complexities'.
In March 2021, Kangana responded to an X user who had tweeted, “Mark my tweet! Kangana Ranaut will fight by-election from Mandi Lok Sabha Constituency.” To this tweet, Kangana responded by posting, “I was given the option of Gwalior during 2019 Lok Sabha elections. HP (Himachal Pradesh) population is hardly 60/70 lakh, no poverty/crime. If I get into politics, I want a state with complexities I can work on and be the Queen I am in that field also. Small fry like you won’t understand big talks.”
#WATCH | Himachal Pradesh | BJP's candidate from Mandi for Lok Sabha elections and actor, Kangana Ranaut says, "I extend greetings to everyone on #Holi. This is my 'janmabhoomi' and it has called me back, I am fortunate...If they choose me, I will serve them. I am overwhelmed,… pic.twitter.com/rqdOTqi98CRelated stories
— ANI (@ANI) March 25, 2024
Resharing the three-year-old tweet on Reddit on Sunday, a person wrote, “Hypocrisy ki bhi seema hoti hai (There's a limit to hypocrisy).”
A person commented on the Reddit post, "One thing you should know about actors and politicians – they always do the exact opposite of what they say in public." Another reacted to what Kangana wrote in her original 2021 tweet, "'Be the queen I am' – my entire being cringed so hard OMG (Oh my god)."
On February 27, Kangana Ranaut had revealed in an interview to TV9 Bharatvarsh that while she's always been an aware and politically charged person and it's “the right time” for her to plunge into politics. “I have literally fought from film sets with political parties. That doesn’t keep me away, it doesn’t take me a seat to do what I want to do for my country. But, if I want to get into politics, I probably think this is the right time,” said the Thalaivii, Queen, Tanu Weds Manu actor and Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi director, who had said in interviews that she has been "treated as a dog" and pushed to the "dark side" in Bollywood.
“This country has given me so much, I feel deeply responsible to give back. I have always been more of a nationalist and that image has taken over even my very glorious acting career. I do have the awareness that I am deeply loved and appreciated,” said Kangana. The actor is a staunch supporter of the Bhartiya Janata Party and PM Narendra Modi and attended the Ram Temple consecration in Ayodhya in January 2024.
Kangana Ranaut at Ayodhya Ram Temple Pran Pratishtha in January 2024. (Photo: Instagram)
The Twitter (now X) account of Ranaut was restored after a two-year ban in January this year. Her Twitter account was banned following a tweet urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to subdue one of his political opponents and her repeatedly violating the social media platform's rules on hateful and abusive behaviour.
In October 2022, speaking at the Panchayat Aajtak Himachal Pradesh event in Shimla, Ranaut, then 35, had said she wants to serve the people of Himachal Pradesh in any possible capacity, even if it requires her to join politics. "Whatever will be the situation... If the government wants my participation, then I will be very much open to all kinds of participation... It will be my honour if the people of Himachal Pradesh give me a chance to serve them. So, definitely, it will be my good luck."
However, the same month she had maintained that since she's an actor first, and so doesn't have any immediate plans to contest or enter into politics professionally as she remains focused on her film career.
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