LS polls 2024: Kangana Ranaut, Arun Govil, Yusuf Pathan, Shatrughan Sinha among celebrities in electoral fray

Lok Sabha elections: Political parties are all set to make big gains in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. From cutting tickets for non-performers to sending celebrities to key constituencies in the hope of a big win, political parties are doing everything they can.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielded Ramayan actor Arun Govil from Meerut, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) fielded Bollywood veteran Shatrughan Sinha from Asansol. The BJP went a step further by adding star power to its candidate list with the party reprising the tickets of Bhojpuri superstar Ravi Kishan and Bollywood dream girl Hema Malini from Gorakhpur and Mathura respectively.

The saffron party has also fielded Paralympian Devendra Jhajharia from Rajasthan's Churu. The TMC, which traditionally relies on star power to win elections, fielded 1983 World Cup veteran Kirti Azad from Bardhaman-Durgapur and Yusuf Pathan from Bahrampore.

Rachana Banerjee, also known for Didi No., will represent the TMC from Hooghly. Two-time MP and Bengali superstar Dev has also been brought in from Medinipur. Check out the list of celebrities heading into the election campaign in 2024:

Celebrities used by BJP:

• Kangana Ranaut from Mandi
• Arun Govil from Meerut
• Hema Malini from Mathura
• Ravi Kishan from Gorakhpur
• Manoj Tiwari from North East Delhi
• Dinesh Lal Yadav aka Nirahua from Azamgarh
• Suresh Gopi from Thrissur
• Radhika Sarathkumar from Virudhunagar
• Devendra Jhajaharia from Churu
• Chatterjee medallion from Hooghly
• Agnimitra Paul from Medinipur

Celebrities used by the TMC:

• Yusuf Pathan from Bahrampore
• Kirti Azad from Bardhaman-Durgapur
• Shatrughan Sinha of Asansol
• Saayoni Ghosh from Jadavpur
• Satabdi Roy from Birbhum
• Partha Bhowmick from Barrackpore
• Rachana Banerjee from Hooghly
• Developer from Medinipur

Lok Sabha election schedule

Voting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will take place in seven phases. The polls will be held in seven phases: the first phase on April 19, the second on April 26, the third on May 7, the fourth on May 13, the fifth on May 20, the sixth on May 25 and the seventh on June 1st.

Voting will take place in a single phase in 22 states including Delhi and Haryana. Elections will be held in two phases in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Manipur and Tripura.

The elections will be held in three phases in Chhattisgarh and Assam and four phases in Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Jharkhand. Elections will be held in five phases in Maharashtra and Jammu & Kashmir, while voting will be held in seven phases in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.