Actor Prakash Raj to contest from Bengaluru in General Election

Renowned actor Prakash Raj is likely to contest from the Bengaluru Central constituency in the upcoming General Election, which is likely to take place before this may.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s state unit has asked permission to its central leadership to support the actor’s attempt to win the seat, which has been staying in the hands of the BJP since the day it was formed.

In both the last two elections, the BJP candidate won the seat with an astounding majority of over one lakh votes. In both occasions, the Congress was the party that occupied the second position.

The actor, as per a report, has requested the support of the Grand Old Party. However, the party has not yet responded positively towards the request of the actor.

The TRS and AAP has already offered unconditional support to the actor, who entered the political hemisphere after the brutal murder of his close friend Gauri Lankesh –the renowned Karnataka-based journalist, who was known for her political activism, her firebrand nature and her attachment towards the extreme leftist ideologies, and who was allegedly murdered by the extreme rightists who were unhappy with the activities of the leftist activist-journalist.

The reality is that if the Congress declines the actor’s plea, he can only make little impact in the electorate, which is totally unfamiliar with the politics the actor represents.

The issue that prevents the congress from considering the actor’s request are the facts that the seat is one of the very crucial seats in the Bengaluru city and it has many claimers.

The CPM’s presence in the constituency is minimal. It only has a handful of workers in certain pockets in the constituency. A CPM local leader says that the proposed support is only ideological in nature as it has no serious physical presence in the region.

Mr Raj is a vocal critic of the Saffron regime. He has several times lashed out at the leadership of the Saffron party, and criticised several policies launched by the BJP-led government.

Whether the actor can make any impact is yet to be seen. Theoretically, the possibility for a serious impact is minimal. Yet, the possibility for a surprise cannot be ruled out as he is a known face and has earned respect already with his skills.   

Vignesh. S. G

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